A Story Untold
by AngelHairCurls
Summary: Sicily's distressed over a painting from her past she's found. When Belgium arrives the story spills out about her past, and why a certain Spaniard hasn't seen her in centuries. Through her tale Belgium learns the life of a friend she grew up with, and the things that happened to her. Semi-historical, OCxOC/OCxVarious Nations
1. Final Battle

**A/N: Hiya there! Welcome to one of my many ongoing stories! This is the first one I've been able to get on here, but my bio list all the one's I'm working on! So, ****_LucyMoon1992_**** I'm working on that one I told you about, I'm just really caught up on these others to get much done on that one, but I'm trying ****_REALLY _****hard to work on that one! Now, to introduce you to the select people who will talk with me!**

**Sicily: Ugh, dammit Angel, do I****_HAVE_**** to be apart of this?  
AngelHairCurls: YES! You're the main character in this story!  
Sicily: Fuck~  
Romano: If it makes you feel any better I don't want to do this either.  
AngelHairCurls: Yeah, you're like that though, you cute tsundere~! :D  
Romano: I'm NOT tsundere!  
AngelHairCurls: Pfffft! :D lies~! All lies~!  
Sicily: You have issues bitch.  
AngelHairCurls: *shrugs* to~ fucking bad! Deal with it woman~! ;D  
Sicily: I feel the onset of a headache to come. I'm leaving. *walks off*  
Romano: Me to *walks away with Sicily*  
AngelHairCurls: But you guys~! *pouts* dammit. Well, let's get to this disclaimer and I'll let you read this chapter while I go and fetch those two and bring them back! :D**

Disclaimer: I own the unnamed characters, the idea, Sicily's OC, and nothing else in this chapter. Hima-papa owns all the other characters besides the one's that belong to history itself!

_{Fire consumes this heart  
Rage pounds through these warriors veins  
While steel clashing rings out  
And the final battle rings out  
Between two opponents  
Only one can win}_

* * *

Around 750 B.C.

A woman with long, thick, and wavy mahogany brown hair and emerald eyes was watching the shores of her island with an unhappy, burning glint in her eyes. She narrowed her eyes as she watched strangers make their home on an island that they did not belong to. She gripped her sword hilt tighter as she observed one of the women among the group who seemed to hold all of the power of the strangers. She was obviously the one in charge of these people, and it was important to scare her enough to leave the island.  
"My people will drive these strangers out, they do not belong here," she hissed to herself before spinning around and dashing towards the inner part of the island, to the nearby village of her people.  
When she arrived she noticed her people were moving around the village a tad bit stiffer and cautious, as if they could sense the newcomers on the shore. She made her way to where the leader of this tribe stayed, her brown leather boots crunching on the dying grass beneath her soles. She opened the flap of the tent catching the attention of the leader immediately. He stood up swiftly and bowed deeply in respect towards her, dark brown hair falling into his eyes before he stood back up.  
"Sicily, what brings you into my presence, my lady?" He asked her.  
"Strangers are on the shore making their own village and tribe. They have one of my kind among them," Sicily told him in an icy tone.  
"Does this mean what you told my ancestors? A war will break out?" The tribe leader asked her with a cautious tone.  
"Yes, a war. For many years to come even. War will rage in our land but there will be peace sometimes. My people in this tribe must be brought together to prepare for our first attack so we can make them leave," she told him and shifted to look out at the others of the tribe.  
"Then I'll gather our warriors and tell them to prepare for battle. When do we strike?"  
She turned back to him, emerald eyes locked with brown. She smirked and gave a dark chuckle as she planned it out in her mind.  
"We strike a dawn, before the will awake. We will take them by surprise and kill them all. Leave the woman like me in their group to my blade," the nation said in a dangerous, predatory tone while a dark glint gleamed in her eyes.  
"Yes, my lady. It will be done," he said to her and bowed again.  
She nodded and swiftly left for her temporary house outside the village. She walked in and took her sword off of her belt, putting it on her entrance table. She was determined to be as ready as possible for the fight to come tomorrow.

}=={|}=={

Sicily tightened the brown leather corset around her chest, making sure that it would stay tied for the upcoming battle. She looked in the large bowl of water and frowned before scooping some out and washing her face off. She shook her head to make the water fly off.  
"A warrior will always fight for what belongs to them and what they believe in. My warriors and I shall prevail in this battle," she said to herself in a flat tone and then grabbed her sword and belted it back around her waist. She grabbed her leather boots, put them on and stood making her way towards the awaiting warriors who were standing just outside the village under the twinkling lights of the night sky.  
"Ready warriors?" The emerald-eyed woman asked the men and women around her. They nodded and she smirked, "Good, let's go."  
She took off at a light and easy lope as the warriors followed her closely behind as they made their way to the shore...  
And the battle that awaited them.

}=={|}=={

In the wee hours before dawn, Sicily gathered her warriors into an attack formation she desired for ambush not even a hundred yards from the shore village the strangers had erected in the last few weeks since arriving. She went through the battle plan in her head again as she walked through the warriors, making sure the ambush would be done well enough to scare them off.  
As the first light broke she stood in front of her warriors and moved forward. The ambush had begun.  
They walked swiftly and silently across the dying grass as they closed in on the village. Feeling the adrenaline rush through her as her senses peaked for the approaching battle she grinned the smile of a predator on the hunt as she broke into a run. Her warriors followed suit as they stormed the village. For several moments after entering the village all was silent as they split up into groups, she herself going off on her own entirely, but after a few more moments a scream rang out as the first kill of the battle happened.  
She stopped to listen for a second and just a moment later she saw one of the village guards come around the corner. Spotting her the guard drew his weapon and charged at her. Smiling wickedly she waited for him to be close before drawing her sword and struck lightning fast at him. In two strikes she disarmed him and spun around, beheading him.  
**_'Let the hunt begin'_**, she thought before setting off at a swift pace through the village in search of the woman she had seen that was like her. She fought several off the guards along her way as she continued her search.  
Coming out of the village edge on the shore, she saw her target. The woman had long, wavy, chestnut brown hair, peridot colored eyes, with skin lighter than her own standing in her people's uniform of the warriors.  
"You shouldn't have come here," Sicily said in an icy tone as she made her way closer to the other woman.  
"I'm hear because I'm searching," the lighter skinned woman told her.  
"Well, if it was a fight you were looking for," Sicily gave her a dark smirk and twirled her sword once, "then you damn sure found one."  
Sicily lunged at the woman without warning, quick as a flash. The other woman brought up her sword to block, their blades collided with brute force. Sicily narrowed her eyes at the other nation before they backed off of each other. They sized each other up again before clashing their blades again. Slashing, parring, blocking, stabbing, they danced across the sand in a flurry of movement, neither being able to get the upper hand as they exchanged blow after blow. As the number of times their swords clashed against each other Sicily began to get more and more aggravated at the lack of wounds upon her opponent. She gave a feral snarl as she jumped back to dodge a sweeping cut made by the peridot-eyed woman.  
**_'I believe I underestimated her skill as a warrior'_**, Sicily thought with a scowl. She lunged back into the fight exchanging several more blows with the chestnut-haired woman before landing the first hit, a slice to the brunette's left arm that was nothing more than a light scratch. Grinning in triumph she chuckled darkly.  
**_'Now the real fight begins!'_**  
Striking out again she attempted to catch her opponent off-guard catching her just below the shoulder of the same arm before being forced back into defensive moves by her opponent. As they continued to exchange more blows Sicily obtained a scratch across her left cheek trying to deflect a high placed slash and another scratch just below her ribs. Her green-eyed opponent had gained a gash on her right calf and another on her left thigh from low slashes. They exchanged several more blows, Sicily grinning viciously as she grew bolder and performed more offensive blows, only to have her opponent duck below a sweep and kick her legs out from under her. With a thud she landed on her back, a sword pointed at her heart.  
"Drop your sword," the brunette ordered Sicily in a dark tone. Sicily laughed and gave her a wicked grin.  
"Over my still breathing body," she told the brunette in a dangerous, challenging tone, emerald eyes alight with a fire.  
"That can be changed," her opponent said lowly.  
"Prove it," the emerald-eyed nation challenged, a smirk appearing on her face. Quick as a flash the blade pierced into her, striking her heart. Sicily gasped in pain before chuckling and looking at her opponent, eyes beginning to dull.  
"Nearly…eight thousand years…I've protected this land…none before you…could kill me…you deserve this land," Sicily said and smiled a pure smile before closing her eyes and being consumed by death.

}=={|}=={

Ancient Greece looked down at the slain personification in horror and sorrow. She had come to this land looking for a new place for her people, not truly expecting to find an occupied island with its own personification.  
**_'I killed one of my own kind without meaning to'_**, she thought to herself. She pulled her sword out of the lifeless body below her, sheathed her sword and bent down to pick up the body of the girl who looked fairly young still. Sorrow at the killing of the woman churned around inside her.  
"Sleep well," the brunette nation murmured and carried her back into the small town that her people had established. When she entered the center of town she saw several of the others that were native to the island, women and men alike. One of the elder men seemed to be glaring at her as she approached the surrounded group. He shouted something at her in his native tongue, pointing at her. Sensing it had to do with the woman she was carrying she walked up to him and laid her down near him. The man looked at her with a shocked expression seeing the older personification dead. Ancient Greece lowered her head to show him she was sorry.  
"Leave us," she ordered the other warriors. They left and she kneeled down to his level.  
"Do you understand me?" She asked the dark-haired man. Her looked up at her.  
"Yes, I understand you. You speak my tongue," he told her.  
"Good. I wish to tell you I had no idea who she was when we fought. I merely was defending myself from her, but know she died the death of a warrior," she told him. He nodded his head.  
"Sicily died happy then. You now rule out land," he said slowly.  
**_'So her name was Sicily…'_**, Ancient Greece said.  
"I want to live alongside her people. If you leave my people alone we will stay on the edge of the island and my people will not bother you as you stay inland," she explained to him.  
"Will she return to us?" He asked pointing at Sicily's dead body.  
"Not right away, but she might…eventually. I do not know if it was willed that she die yet. As long as you remain I'm sure she will return," Ancient Greece said, trying to give him hope.  
"Then we will move if we have to," the dark-haired man told the nation.  
"I understand. I will my people I'm letting you go. I only request that when she," the personification pointed to the dead nation's body, "comes back as a child that you turn her over to us so we may teach her about since she is like me."  
The tribe leader looked at her in slight awe.  
"You're the same as she was," he stated in a shocked tone.  
"Yes, indeed I am," she told him, staring her own peridot orbs into his brown ones.  
"Then I will tell the others. Our terms for freedom and make sure my descendants know them if she does not return in my life," he said to her.  
Ancient Greece nodded at him with a small smile before standing up and waving one of her guards over.  
"Take them out of the town, I'm letting them go free. Some day they will return with a small child and you are to take this child in and treat her as you do me. I want all guards to be told this, even the new recruits that are obtained. When she arrives I wish to be notified of it through a letter. I will be traveling back to my home in Athens for now," Ancient Greece told him. The guard replied with a swift "Yes, my Lady," before she turned back to the natives.  
"He will take you back to the edge of the village to let you go free. Remember our promise, and we will uphold our end of the deal as well."  
The tribe leader nodded his head before gathering his remaining warriors and leaving as swiftly as he could with a few of the guards escorting them.  
**_'I may see you again sooner than you think'_**, she thought as she instructed all of her people in the village to never speak of this fight to anyone,**_ 'because all personifications killed before they have no land left to them will always reincarnate.'_**

* * *

**A/N: Oh hey look! In the first chapter I killed off a character XD my OC to be exact. Don't worry, she reappears next chapter~! :D  
This story should be interesting.…I've only got a few key points I want in there finished…plus the first three chapters. So, if updates take a while, you know why~!  
I'm putting theories of mine in this, just to let you know when you meet another certain character~! So enjoy!**

**Review please? They will make me happy to know how I'm doing and what people like about this! And what I could improve to make it better! Just…no flames, they'll be eaten by my (non-existent) pet llama ;D**

**Also! I need to have people who speak fluent and/or rather good French/Spanish/Italian/German…a combination of those is acceptable! PM me if you do because I'll need to know certain words/phrases. I don't trust Google translate! Also, title the PM subject the language you are willing to lend a hand in. In your PM I need to know where you are strongest in that language(unless you speak fluently in said language which should be included) and what your weakest points are. I will contact you when needed for translations which will be more and more often as the story goes on(probably every other chapter unless necessary).**  
**Thanks for your time! I hope to have people willing to help me since it would be much appreciated!**

**With Love,**  
**AngelHairCurls**


	2. Meeting Another

**_A/N: And~ I'm back! :D welcome to chapter 2! I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter, because more things begin to start happening now! Also, the whole main story starts on chapter 4, but these first three will play a vital role to this story! I promise so just bear with me!_**

**Sicily: Just get on with the damn thing already!**  
**AngelHairCurls: *waggles fingers in a scolding way* now now Rosita, it was important!**  
**Sicily: Don't call me that!**  
**AngelHairCurls: Want me to call you Rosie like-**  
**Sicily: Call me by my nation name you dimwitted human!**  
**AngelHairCurls: *pouts* fine then Sicily..I'm going to go ahead and start this chapter if you're going to be so mean about what I call you...**

**Thanks to those who've read/reviewed/followed/favorited this story!**

Disclaimer: Same as the first! Himaruya, he still owns Hetalia. I still own Sicily and unnamed characters, along with the story plot!

}=={|}=={

_{Two people  
Lives forever entwined  
By a simple twist in fate  
A mother and a daughter  
Who share a pain, a responsibility  
And a gift}_

* * *

Around 660 B.C.

Ancient Greece was sitting on the balcony of her house, staring out at the waters of the sea near her city of Athens. She was standing there in her _peplos,_ a golden fibulae* fastened to it, drinking some wine out of a silver goblet as she watched the sun set over the land and sea. She smiled as the slight breeze off of the sea picked up some, caressing her skin as she listened to the crashing waves.  
There was a knock on her bedroom door behind her. Setting the goblet down on the banister she made her way through her room to see who it was. Opening the door she saw one of her servant boys holding a piece of parchment out to her.  
"This came back from that island you found. I was told that it was urgent you read it," the young boy said to the nation. The chestnut-haired nation smiled before taking the piece of parchment and patting him gently on the head.  
"Thank you," she said to him before closing the door softly. She walked back over to the banister picking up her wine goblet before opening the parchment and skimming over what it said.  
**_'So she's returned. I believe this means it is time for me to journey back...in time I will. For now, knowing she's returned and they waited to make sure to know it was indeed her is enough to know.'_**  
The green-eyed nation took a sip of her wine before she went back into her room to respond to the letter she had received.  
**_'One day Sicily...one day I will return, I promise.'_**

}=={|}=={

Around 240 B.C.

Ancient Greece was staring at the approaching land from the front of her ship that was taking her to see the nation that she was promised to be given all those centuries ago. When the ship docked at the town called **_Syrakoúsai_*** she swiftly made her way off the ship to the soldier that was awaiting her arrival.  
"My Lady," the soldier said bowing to her.  
"Take me to where the child is being held," she ordered him.  
"Yes, my Lady," he replied before turning towards the town and leading the nation to where the child was being held. They weaved through the town market place, a nice bustling and busy atmosphere covering the place. Ancient Greece watched her people with a small, content smile as they wandered by her in their everyday lives, decades in the making. As they exited the market they continued down a different street, quieter and less crowded than the market they just left.  
"The child is being kept at the edge of the town with the Captain like you asked us, my Lady," he said suddenly. She nodded her head in response as they came upon a rather large house near the edge of the town.  
**_'This place almost looks like one of the cities on my land'_**, she thought as she was ushered into the house.  
She walked into the large foyer and glanced around casually, her peridot-green eyes observing the place where the young nation she was about to see resided. After a few moments of silence she her a series of quick, light footsteps. The Greek nation looked towards the staircase to see a small girl, no more than five, staring at her with curious emerald colored eyes. Ancient Greece smiled at the young girl.  
"Hello," she said to her, the emerald eyes giving the child away.  
"Who are you?" The small girl asked in a soft, low-pitched voice. She began to descend the stairs, her white _peplos_ styled similar to Ancient Greece's own.  
"Most refer to me as 'My Lady' since I am very important to my people, but you may call me Greece, Sicily," the Greek personification told her.  
Emerald eyes locked with peridot as the smaller nation looked at her in shock as she stood a few feet away from the elder nation.  
"You're the one I was told would come back for me one day," Sicily said, her voice a bit louder than before, confusion now coloring it, "What took you so long to arrive?"  
Ancient Greece knelt down so they were closer in height and smiled.  
"I had many thing to take care of in my land before I could return," she told the young girl.  
Sicily looked at her with a glint of curiosity on her eyes before the small personification told her to follow. It was then that the elder nation noticed the differences between this new Sicily and the dead one. Instead of mahogany colored hair she had chestnut hair-though the style was the same minus the new curl of hair behind the young nations right ear-and her skin had taken on a lighter tone, more of an olive color now, but her eyes were still that emerald color.  
**_'I didn't think she would change when she was reborn...I wonder why she has such a different coloring from before...'_**  
Ancient Greece was quiet as Sicily lead her up the stairs and into a sitting room where she saw the soldier captain sitting in one of the chairs reading a book. He looked up form his book to see both of the personifications. He set the book down and stood up before bowing towards them.  
"My Lady, young miss," he said addressing them both individually.  
"Captain," Ancient Greece replied, nodding her head in his direction.  
"I believe you have returned for the young miss?" He asked, nodding towards Sicily.  
"Yes I have. I hope you have taught her well in our language and customs?" The elder nation questioned, her peridot eyes meeting with his own light brown ones.  
"Yes, my Lady," he responded.  
"She's been allowed to express her own as well?"  
Here the soldier captain paused for a moment, obviously nervous about answering.  
"N-no, my Lady," he told her. Ancient Greece's eyes narrowed slightly.  
"Make sure that in the future after I leave she is allowed to," she ordered in a soft tone. Sicily looked up at Ancient Greece then tugged at the skirt of her dress to get her attention. The Greek nation looked down at the smaller personification to see those large emerald eyes staring at her.  
"I practice them on my own time Greece," she told her. Ancient Greece smiled softly at her before placing a hand on the smaller nations head.  
"That's wonderful to know Sicily, I want you to practice your own culture even though you are among my people so much," Ancient Greece told her. Sicily grinned and looked back at the soldier captain, with the peridot-eyed nation doing the same.  
"Well, Captain, I will be leaving with her now. We will return by nightfall," Ancient Greece told him.  
"Yes, my Lady," the guard captain said and Ancient Greece left the house with Sicily.

}=={|}=={

**A/N: Alright! Chapter 2 is DONE! Originally this, chapter one AND chapter three were the same chapter o_o long ass chapter was LONG! So it got split(:**

**Here's your quick history lesson for the day!**

_***fibulae**_**-this refers to a brooch, fibulae is the word used for it in ancient times in Greece, Germania(the region), and the Roman Empire(which kind encompassed the two aforementioned places) but in the post-Roman British Isles they have been called brooches. It technically refers to just the Roman brooches but is widely used for the entire ancient and early medieval world that continue Roman forms. During this time they were not just for decoration, they were used to fasten clothing, such as cloaks. In the Middle Ages they were replaced as clothing fasteners by buttons and today their descendant is the modern safety pin.**

*****_**Syrakoúsai**_**- the Greek name for the Sicilian city now known as Syracuse (Italian:** _**Siracusa**_**; Sicilian:** _**Sarausa)**_** which was built between 734-733 B.C. by Greek settlers from Corinth and Tenea who were led by the colonizer Archias, who called it **_**Sirako,**_** in reference to a salt marsh that was nearby and became a very powerful city-state. It became allies with Sparta and Corinth and the most important city in the entire** _**Magna Grecia**_** area of which it exerted influence over. It was described by Cicero as "the greatest Greek city and the most beautiful of them all" and later became part of the Roman Republic and Byzantine Empire. After this took place Palermo overtook it in importance, as the capital of the Kingdom of Sicily.**

**That's your history lesson for the day! :D hope to see you again next chapter!**

**_Con Amore,  
_AngelHairCurls_  
_**


	3. Discovering

**A/N: I figured since I got this typed up already I might as well post it! :D next chapter we'll be skipping WAY~ forward in time to around present day and meet the adult version of Sicily!**

**Sicily: Took you long enough.**  
**AngelHairCurls: Well, these chapters we're important, plus this chapter helps give a bit more of the stuff I need to show your future history!**  
**Sicily: ****_Mio Dio_****, help us all.  
AngelHairCurls: Hey, no complaining to Him now!  
Sicily: *slaps Angel on the back of the head* Smartass bitch.  
AngelHairCurls: *rubs back of head* Eheheh, alright, let's continue on now~.**

Disclaimer: Not changed. Must I do this ever chapter? Eh, fun~.

}=={|}=={

_{Discover what happens  
When a secret is revealed  
Discover what happens  
When truths are told  
Discover what happens  
When you try to keep things hidden}_

* * *

Ancient Greece and Sicily were far outside the town now. Sicily had insisted that the older nation should follow her to a special place. Right now Sicily was ahead of Ancient Greece as they wandered close to a large hill with a group of rocky outcroppings covered with holes. Sicily stopped for several moments before heading in a different direction, towards the rocky outcroppings.  
"Come," the emerald-eyed nation said and Ancient Greece followed her. They moved silently up the hill by the group of small openings to the east edge where a large outcropping of rock was situated. A large stone opening with carvings sat among that particular outcropping. Sicily looked over her shoulder to make sure the peridot-eyed nation was still following her before moving closer to the opening. The smaller nation pointed at the inscription before speaking.  
"Tell me why it says my name and says I died so many winters ago...when I'm alive and breathing," Sicily as and turned to look at Ancient Greece, "All the soldiers I've asked say they don't know, neither do my people. I want to know."  
Ancient Greece looked down into Sicily's large and blazing emerald eyes. The elder nation frowned at the question that the younger had asked, not wanting to lie to the young personification, but not wanting to tell her the truth either.  
"Sometimes we die Sicily, and we are reborn into a new body if we must," Ancient Greece told her, choosing to begin with the truth.  
Sicily looked at Ancient Greece in complete shock.  
"You...you mean...we can.._die_?" Sicily asked in a low voice full of worry.  
"Every once and a while we can...but it's only when our place falls. Sometimes when we get killed even, as in your case," Ancient Greece told her, "Your people are still your people, allowing you to return in this new life.  
"So...what are we then Greece?"  
"Our people call us immortals, Gods even, but we aren't such things. We are the representations of our land and out people. As long as out empire lives, we live."  
Sicily stared at her in slight awe, then began pelting the elder nation with question after question about what it meant to be a nation.  
When the sun had started to descend in the sky Sicily again asked Ancient Greece to follow her, they traveled to another location that was some distance away from the burial grounds. It was some time before they arrived at the place, nothing more than a hill that overlooked more of the land but the air around the place felt different.  
"Watch," Sicily said and went down to a small pile of stones which seemed to be arranged in a circle. The peridot-eyed nation followed the smaller nation only to be waved back when she was a few feet away. She stepped back some and watched the young nation intently.  
Sicily closed her eyes, calming herself before she began to murmur a series of words that went unheard. Suddenly a fire began to form on one of the stones and seconds later there were fires on all of the stones, burning and real. The island nation opened her emerald colored orbs and met Ancient Greece's own peridot ones.  
"It's something I can feel in me, its in my blood to be able to do things like this," Sicily told the elder nation. Ancient Greece frowned in concern for the young nation.  
"I'll only tell you once," Ancient Greece said as she walked closer to Sicily, "don't show anyone that you can do this unless they can to. It's a rare gift, even among our kind. Many of my enemies would want you under their control just for it."  
Sicily looked away, towards the flames and they all vanished quickly.  
"So...I can't perform something...that's apart of me?" She asked uncertainly.  
"No, you can't," the elder nation told her, "we nations don't use it if we have it usually, even if it is in our blood since we don't want the humans to know, but around those like us," a small flame formed on one of the stones and swirled on it before disappearing, "it's fine."  
Sicily stayed silent but nodded her head in understanding. She took a hold of the peridot-eyed nation's hand and they began to walk back to the village.

}=={|}=={

Ancient Greece had been staying with Sicily with some time now, showing her the different things nations could do and teaching her about them.  
One day she followed the young nation as she went out around the town to see how she spent her day. She noticed that a guard was always nearby to watch the emerald-eyed girl as soon as she left the house grounds. Many of the Grecian's living in the town paid no mind to the small nation, though some would nods their heads at her in acknowledgment and others would stop her to talk to her about something before departing. The children who were not attending school would ask Sicily to play games with them. She always accepted the offer and played their games with them until her guard told her they needed to leave. The young nation would then head to the market and talk to the people running the stands about different things, some of them even gave her food to eat while she was at their stand. A number of the people passing by the stands would talk to her while they were there before they left to continue on their way also and then she headed home. Sicily was tired by this time so the guard carried her home.  
Ancient Greece met the guard at the wall surrounding the courtyard of the house and took her out of his arms to take her inside and to her room. She pulled the blanket back and laid Sicily down before tucking her in.  
"Sleep well," Ancient Greece whispered before leaving the room. She went to the parlor down the hall and sat down in the chair she had before leaving. She picked up the book on the small table next to her she had been reading and continued where she left off.

A few hours later she heard Sicily walk in to the parlor. She looked up from her book to see the small girl looking at her from the doorway, eyes looking at the Grecian nation from under her lashes and hands clasped in front of her.  
"Sicily? What is wrong?" Ancient Greece questioned the obviously nervous nation and sat her book down on the table.  
"I...I w-wanted...t-to ask you s-something," Sicily stuttered out. Concerned for the small nation Ancient Greece stood up, went over to the young girl, picked her up into her arms gently and went to sit back down in the chair while having Sicily on her lap.  
"Ask away, my child," Ancient Greece said in a soothing time, stroking Sicily's chestnut-colored hair gently. Sicily was quiet for several moments, fidgeting and mumbling to herself while Ancient Greece stayed silent, waiting for the emerald-eyed nation to speak first.  
"W-w-well," Sicily started out, "I was wondering...w-why I keep having t-this dream a-about...me d-dying...and," her voice grew softer, "you're the one...who kills me..."  
Ancient Greece froze in horror at the last words spoken by the island nation.  
**_'How can she remember that? I though the reincarnations couldn't remember their past life if they come back?'_**  
"Greece?" Sicily said, breaking through Ancient Greece's horror. Ancient Greece wrapped her arms around the smaller personification in a hug.  
"Oh, Sicily," Ancient Greece whispered into the child's hair, 'I'm so sorry.'  
Sicily hugged the older personification gently as Ancient Greece held onto her tightly. After a few moments, Ancient Greece loosened her hold on the child nation she felt the strong need to protect.  
"What you saw was a dream," Ancient Greece told her, 'a dream of something that happened to you in your old life.'  
"So it wasn't real?" Sicily questioned, her emerald eyes large and curious. Ancient Greece smiled softly at her and shook her head.  
**_'If only it was, my dear, if only it was...'_**

}=={|}=={

Ancient Greece was preparing for her voyage home. She was going to leave the young island nation here, but she would see her again soon-hopefully. Besides, there were matters in her own land to be taken care of. One's far more important that could only be taken care of at home.  
"Greece!" A child's voice called out. Ancient Greece turned around with a soft smile to see Sicily running to her. She bent down and opened her arms, allowing the emerald-eyed child run into her arms. After having spent a few years here tending to things and spending countless days with Sicily, she had become quite fond of her-grown to love her as a daughter even-and wished she could bring her back to care for her.  
"Don't go," Sicily murmured into the peridot-eyed nation's shoulder.  
"I must, my child. I'll come back, I'll always come back," Ancient Greece told her and pulled back to look the girl in the eyes.  
"Do you promise?" Sicily asked, her large emerald orbs never wavering from Ancient Greece's own peridot ones.  
"I promise,"the elder replied before letting her go and standing up, "but for now I have to leave."  
Sicily nodded her head, a slight pout on her pink lips.  
"O-okay, bye _matri._"  
"Take care, _I̱ kóri̱ mou."_  
Ancient Greece boarded the large ship taking her home. She looked over the railing on the side of the ship to see Sicily staring at her, a guard not three feet from her.  
"You'll be safe my darling child. You'll be safe," she whispered to herself in reassurance as the ship left the dock, and the port began to fade out of her sight into the distance.

}=={|}=={

**The place I mention and call a burial grounds is an actual place in Sicily near Syracuse call the Necropolis of Pantalica, rather interesting place if I say so myself. Though the "tomb" where Sicily's previous incarnation lies is of my own design, I don't actually know if it exist.**

**So, next chapter, we time skip about 2,200 years. But don't worry, I cover her life after this chapter after that one, with time skips running around everywhere. Hope to see you guys then! Hasta la pasta fellow Hetalians~!**

**TRANSLATIONS~!**

_[Sicilian] matri-mother (or so I've heard, correct me if I'm wrong~!)_  
_[Greek] I̱ kóri̱ mou- my daughter_

**_Mit Liebe_,****_  
_**

**AngelHairCurls  
**


	4. Cleaning

**A/N: Back again! Who's ready to meet present day Sicily? Because I know some of you will be confused by her and the way she reacts to-!**

**Sicily: Are you enough of a _dumbass_ to ruin shit?**  
**AngelHairCurls: Ahahaha~ almost let that slip, s ? xD whoops~  
Romano: Moron.**  
**AngelHairCurls: *shrugs* I'm not in the one in denial though~(:**  
**Romano: The fuck am I den- you know what, fucking forget it.**  
**Sicily: Calm down Lovino.**  
**AngelHairCurls: Please do~! Of I'm going to go find Spa-! *shuts up and looks at Sicily nervously* eheh~  
Sicily: -Grumbles- That bastard...**  
**AngelHairCurls: Um...better get to the story before someone dies~! :D**

**A shoutout to my followers~: Strawberrymists, SomeAuthorChick and WorldOfMagic711; Thank you~!**  
**A shoutout to my reviewers~: Strawberrymists and SomeAuthorChick; Thank you~! I hope you continue to enjoy this story(:**  
**A shoutout to my favoriter~: SomeAuthorChick; Thank you for favoriting~!**  
**A final shoutout to my readers~: Ninja's, all of you! XD grazie for reading though~.**

**I'm so happy you people don't understand~! :D**

Disclaimer: Don't you guys know the writers on her don't own most of the these things we write about? All I own so far: Sicily, unnamed OC's(like the guards and tribe leader), and the non historical parts of the story~!

{_A nation's life_  
_So full of misfortune and grief_  
_Though behind it_  
_There's something that began it all_  
_There's a story to be told_  
_And secrets that begin to unfold_}

* * *

Sicily stared at the wooden oak door in front of her, setting the cleaning supplies in her arms down on the wooden floor beside the door.  
_**'Remind me again why the hell I'm doing this'**_, she asked herself, _**'Oh yeah, because I haven't stepped foot in here since I put all my old stuff in there a century and a half ago.'**_  
She sighed and opened to large door just enough to peek her head in to look. Dust was laying in a thick, grey color over everything, changing its color. The island nation scowled at the sight and opened the door all the way.  
"Well fuck, probably should have cleaned the place out sooner," she muttered to herself before grabbing a few of the cleaning supplies and going in to begin cleaning the room out. She walked over to one of the boxes and put the rag and broom down on it before heading towards a group of what seemed to be paintings covered by what (used to be) white sheets.  
"Wonder what's under these?" She asked herself before grabbing the corner of one of the sheets. She pulled it off quickly, causing dust to fly up and she had to close her eyes to make sure they didn't get irritated. When she was sure it had settled she opened her eyes and looked at the painting she had uncovered. She scowled and felt a familiar anger boil up inside her.  
She was sitting in Spain's lap in her gold and yellow maid's dress with Romano sitting opposite of her in his pink maid's outfit. They were both much younger than now, Sicily was about thirteen and Romano about ten or eleven in physical appearance. They both had frowns on their faces, but she had been looking at Spain, a small smile tugging at the edge of her pink colored lips. Spain had an arm around both of their shoulders, a small smile playing across his lips as he looked at them both, emerald eyes much like her own holding a fondness in them. He had on his infamous blood red pirate cape, black pirate hat with a ridiculously large white feather stuck into the side, loose white blouse and tan breeches. He had cleaned up for the painting, and his long, chocolate curls had been tied back into a ponytail.  
"Jackass of a lying bastard!" Sicily screamed at the painting before turning and punching the closest thing to her besides the painting. Which happened to be a full length mirror that was uncovered.  
"Fuck! Shit! Damn! BASTARD!" She burst out holding her now bleeding hand.  
"Rosa?" A familiar feminine voice called out from behind her.  
"Anri!" Sicily shouted as she turned around to see the Belgian personification.  
"No need to shout," Belgium said, causing Sicily to grimace.  
"**_Mi dispiace_**," Sicily replied in a softer tone.  
"It's alright," Belgium said waving it off and smiling, "What are you doing in here anyway?"  
"Oh...um, I was going to clean this place out since I never have," Sicily told her sheepishly.  
"I see that's not happening," the Belgian woman said and pointed towards Sicily's still bleeding hand.  
"Currently...no the hell it's not. Not when I've found that," She said with a scowl and tilted her head in the direction of the large painting.  
"Spain?" Belgium asked cautiously, knowing the Spanish nation was an incredibly sore subject for the island nation.  
"Yeah, and I'm in his lap with Lovino, and I look like I'm about to smile," She said angrily.  
The Belgian nation gave her a knowing smile before grabbing her uninjured hand and dragging her out of the room and to the bathroom a couple doors down.  
"Let's get that hand cleaned up now," the blond said cheerily. Sicily frowned as she walked in but hopped up on the counter without a word, her waist-length, wavy, chestnut brown sliding over her shoulder as she did. She cast her eyes to the mirror, her own bright emerald orbs staring back at her while the Belgian searched the sink cabinets for a first aid kit before pulling it out.  
_**'Just like his eyes dammit'**_, she thought sourly as she once again traced the path of the scar over her right eye with her uninjured hand, the lighter color of the scar making a striking difference to her olive complexion.  
"You're worried Rosa," Belgium said softly as she began using tweezers to pull the bits of glass in Sicily's hand out, "you shouldn't think about Spain. It only makes you aggravated."  
The Sicilian nation sighed, dropping her hand into her lap and looking at the Belgian nation.  
"It was that portrait...and my eyes," Sicily muttered as the blond put some antiseptic on to the cuts. Sicily hissed as the antiseptic entered into the tiny cuts over her hand, trying to pull it away though Belgium kept it in a firm grip.  
"Rosa-" Belgium started.  
"I know, Anri. I know...I've had about three centuries to let it go and I haven't. "  
"Why not?" Jade met emerald as they stared at each other briefly before Belgium looked away.  
"I was pissed-"  
"Can't say you weren't" the Belgian interrupted, though Sicily ignored it to finish.  
"-I was upset as hell-"  
"I saw."  
"-and not to mention the fact I was hurt by it!" Sicily finished, tears glistening in her eyes.  
"Hurt?" Anri inquired.  
"Of course I was hurt!" Sicily yelled, "Goddammit that Spanish bastard killed _**HIM**_!"  
Anri's jade green eyes went wide, "He killed _**him**_?"  
Sicily let her arms fall to her sides and looked away, a sad frown upon her face.  
"Yes, and that's why...I never want to see that bastard again," the Sicilian nation said softly, sadly.  
"Oh my," the blond nation said putting a hand on the brunette's shoulder, "I can see why you won't be around him. How sorry was he when he found out?"  
"Found out?" Sicily scoffed, "Bastard never heard a word out of me after he drug me back. All I said then to him was calling him a bunch of swear words in _**Italiano** _and _**Francese**_."  
"You mean you haven't spoken to him since?" Belgium inquired curiously.  
"The last time I said anything was call him a 'cold-hearted, ruthless, lying, deceiving bastard'," Sicily remarked casually.  
"Rosabella, did you at least say once why you were so mad?" Belgium asked.  
"Fuck no," Sicily growled, her eyes narrowed.  
"Then he may or may not be wondering why you're so angry with him," Belgium remarked as she wrapped a bit of gauze around the other nation's hand. Sicily growled and snatched her hand away, storming out of the bathroom.  
"I shouldn't have to tell him when he KNOWS what he did!" Sicily yelled as she began to descend the stairs opposite the bathroom. She stormed passed the kitchen, through the living room, and out onto the large, open veranda in the back of her house that overlooked her extensive garden while Belgium followed her.  
Sicily sat down roughly in one of the padded white chairs, causing the chair to slide back a couple of inches on the cedar wood flooring as she glared angrily out at the large garden. Belgium sat down in one of the two chairs beside the chair Sicily was in. Silence and a tense atmosphere hung over the two nations for several long moments.  
"Can you at least tell me what happened?" Belgium asked softly. Sicily sighed before looking down.  
"It would make more sense to tell you everything," Sicily said in a sorrowful tone as the memories washed over her.  
"I'm willing to listen to you Rosa," Belgium assured her, patting the island nation's knee gently.  
"Alright then, I'll tell you the entire story. My past of everything that matters," Sicily said and leaned back before closing her eyes.  
"Okay," the Belgian nation replied.  
Sicily nodded and was silent as she thought back on the early days of her life, a life that belonged to her previous incarnation but her life nonetheless. She began telling things that were important to the other nation.  
And so Sicily began telling the story of her long life.

* * *

**And this is where the present times pretty much become nonexistent~. Now the past unfolds for the Sicilian nation, and it's not very pretty through most of it. I'll occasionally put in moments where Belgium ask something or where an important string of memories end so you guys can see how it affects Sicily in present day. Interesting, non?**  
**Side note: my editor is a slight failure XD can't keep everything how I tell her~. So, apologies for all! I've gone back to fix it all since I gained computer access for the night~! Hurrah!**  
**Also~, I mentioned how old Sicily was in the painting, her human age as an adult now is twenty-four!**  
**Still looking for people to help with translations~! Reminder: German, Spanish, French and Italian~!**

**See you next chapter my lovlies~!**

**_Avec Amour_,**  
**AngelHairCurls**


	5. Early Years

**_A/N 1: Apologies my readers! I wanted update forever ago yet I was unable to. I suspect irregular updates might happen sometimes...hopefully not that often though~. This chapter will cover a lot, as will the next one~!_**  
**_Also, blames go to my much loved editor for how late this is since she was moving and since I'm with my Romania tonight I have internet capabilities! So, I decided to finally get this updated! :D_**

**_A/N 2: So, now we know Sicily has a grudge against a certain Spaniard~. You may be wondering why(and have since last chapter probably since it took forever to update) and in due time it shall be revealed. But first! You must journey with her through her past. Uncover secrets that have been kept, and discover betrayal and lies that happened._**

**Sicily: Stop making it sound like some damn adventure! My past is horrible.**  
**AngelHairCurls: Can't argue with you on that! It's tearworthy in my opinion!**  
**Sicily: You're soft-hearted and a hopeless romantic, bitch.**  
**AngelHairCurls: I'm also pretty ruthless and fierce when I need to~ :D**  
**Sicily: Rarely, you're too damn friendly.**  
**AngelHairCurls: Nuh uh~! I'm just nice unlike _SOMEONE_.**  
**Sicily: Bitch please! I can be nice.**  
**AngelHairCurls: *snickers* Oh, I know who'll agree to that~ ;D**  
**Sicily: #O_O#**  
**AngelHairCurls: Look! I made the nation blush! XD**  
**Sicily: S-shut the hell up!**  
**AngelHairCurls: Ahahaha~, I don't understand that phrase xD but, I believe it's **  
**time for the story~.**

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia~! Such is life, I only own the story and Sicily~. Oh! And her "brother" you'll meet this chapter as well as Hispania~ and a couple other OC's I throw in that will be kinda important~. Also, the blond girl in here who cameo's doesn't belong to me either. Said OC nation belong to my sorella~. She'll appear again soon~.

_{I'm taken from a place I know_  
_I enter a place unknown_  
_I meet stranger like me_  
_I meet someone who means so much to me_  
_I meet my future_  
_I lose my past}_

* * *

I woke up and rolled over, letting my eyes crack open. It was barely light, but I had to get up since I knew I had a busy schedule today. Even as a child (physically anyways) I had more responsibilities than most of the adult humans on my island. I got out of bed and made my way to the pile of _peplos_ I had and got dressed before making my way out of my room.  
Making my way to the front of the house I noticed the lack of noise this early, usually the Captain had other soldiers here already as the day began.  
'Odd', I thought before stopping at the top of the stairs. There before me was a man in bronzed armor and a red cape that went to the floor, tattered and ripped. He had, short, curly, dark auburn hair with some strands long and sticking out as individual curls, amber eyes and a bright smile. I could tell he was one of my own kind, like I had when I had first seen _**matri**_.  
"Who are you?" I asked, eyebrows furrowed and a frown upon my face.  
"Ah, I am the Roman Republic," the man said, "but call me Rome."  
"Why are you here?" I asked as I descended the staircase. His accent was different from anything I was used to, it sounded like he was adding something to the end of it that wasn't really supposed to be there.  
"I've won your land from Greece," he replied.  
"Won my land? What do you mean? Where's my _**matri**_?" I questioned him angrily, my eyes narrowing in distrust and stopped in front of him.  
"I'm sure that Greece told you that sometimes nations are conquered and that land is taken," Rome said calmly, a smile still on his face.  
"Yes, she did, why does it matter?"  
"Because, I have taken your land, Sicily," he told me.  
I stopped glaring at the other nation and blinked several times.  
'_**Matri**_ didn't protect me', I thought sadly. She had promised to protect me because I meant so much to her, but she hadn't.  
"What now?" I asked looking at the ground.  
"Now, you come back to my house where I'll raise you," he replied, holding out his hand for me to take. I looked at the hand for several moments before taking it and he smiled a bit brighter, which in turn made me smile just a tiny bit.

}=={|}=={

I looked around at the unfamiliar household while I held onto Rome's cape as he led me into his house. It looked so strange from what I was use to in the style it was built in.  
The way he talked was growing to be aggravating to my ears as well.  
"So Sicily, what do you think?" He asked, looking down at me with a smile. I frowned a bit more before replying.  
"It looks weird," I told him bluntly. Rome laughed at my response and ruffled my hair, something I leaned away from the instant he tried.  
"Come along, I have something I want to show you," Rome said cheerfully and took me through the halls to the back of the large household. Looking out a window at the expanse of land I saw several people tending to a massive garden. Some of the things growing in there I didn't particularly recognize.  
"Rome, what are those?" I asked, pointing to a patch of weird white looking  
things.  
"Ah those are cauliflower" he told me, "we use those for the _gustatio_  
sometimes."  
I nodded my head and watched the people tend to them before he began walking away, with me following right behind since I still was holding onto his cape.  
"I want you to meet someone later," Rome said looking down at me, that seemingly ever present smile on his face. I didn't say anything but I followed, clinging to the red cape as it billowed behind him, though I was pondering on if the person he was going to meet was like my, Rome and _**matri**_.  
"Rome," I spoke up suddenly, and he looked down at me curiously, "I want to see  
_**matri**_."  
We stopped in the dining room and he smiled at me before picking me up gently, causing me to gasp in surprise as he did so.  
"This _**matri**_ is Greece?" He asked as he held me. I nodded my head while looking into his amber colored eyes.  
"You may get to see her soon," He said with a smaller smile and began walking again as he showed me more of his house. I smiled at the possibility of seeing my _**matri**_ again.  
"Thank you, Rome," I said softly, low enough that he almost didn't hear me. He chuckled lightly and ruffled my hair again.

}=={|}=={

Later on after he had shown me everything in his house, we had made our way back to the front of his house. I was holding on to his cape since I didn't want to be held anymore and I was still wondering if the person Rome wants me to meet is another nation. I'm sure it is, he hasn't bothered much to introduce the humans who work in his house yet. I think that's what I'll do later, talk to all those people.  
Reaching the front of his house I saw two people talking to each other, a guy with really long blonde hair and a braid on the left side of his hair with sharp, cyan blue eyes and a calm expression and a woman with slightly wavy chestnut brown hair and very familiar peridot eyes and a warm smile upon seeing me.  
"_**Matri**_!" I yelled and let go of Rome's cape to run and give her a hug. She bent down and scooped me up as I ran into her open arms, hugging me close. I wrapped my short arms around her neck and held onto her, determined to not let go of her.  
"It's good to see you again Sicily," She muttered in her native tongue to me. I switched to it when I replied.  
"Missed you _**matri**_, I missed you," I whined into her neck as I nuzzled my face there momentarily.  
"I've missed you to. I trust Rome is taking good care of you?" She asked.  
"He has...but I want to go home," I told her.  
"This is home for you right now my daughter, but I will come and see you when I can," Greece said with a soft smile, peridot eyes full of adoration.  
"Promise?" I asked softly. The elder nation chuckled softly and stroked my chestnut hair soothingly.  
"I kept that promise last time didn't I? I'll come back, I promise you."  
I smiled and let go of my tight hold on her neck.  
"Rome, do treat my daughter well," Greece said in the language of us nations. I looked at him curiously to see his cheery smile.  
"Of course," He replied. Greece's gaze turned to the man standing beside her.  
"Germania," Rome said, "is there something you needed?"  
The nation called Germania nodded at Rome. The cheerful nation nodded his head and they began walking away, talking in low voices.  
I looked up at _**matri**_ and smiled, happy that I was able to see her again.

}=={|}=={

Time passed as I lived with Rome and I watched as he not only nearly died once, but he grew into an empire, one that became very powerful and strong. I watched as he would leave with a cheery smile in his bronze armor and red cape, only to return battered but the smile was still there. He sometimes brought a new nation with him, but more often than not he returned alone.  
Nearly a century after I had come under the protection and rule of Rome, _**matri**_ came to live with us. I had never knew any of the other nations, but having _**matri**_ here had made things different for me. I was constantly guarded by her and I wasn't allowed to wander in town alone now. It made things less fun for me, I liked playing with the children who didn't attend school. They were my only source of entertainment outside Rome's house. She fretted a bunch when we played games and was always telling me to be careful even if it was a game I wasn't going to get hurt in. So I began staying in Rome's house, hanging around the young nations who were with us where she fretted less about the things I did.  
One of the young nations I met belonged to a female nation known as Hispania. Her son looked almost exactly like her, except where her eyes were a deep chocolate color, his were a bright emerald. Everything from their chocolate colored hair, to their smiles and tanned skin looked the same. His name was Aragon, and he was going to inherit the land of Hispania along with his sister, Castile, at the end of Hispania's time. Aragon and his sister looked alike, though their colors were different. He had emerald eyes where she had jade ones, he was chocolate haired where she had a brown sugar color, he was tanned where she was fairer, and the main difference was the slight height advantaged Castile had on Aragon. Castile was just as friendly as Aragon, but less of a physical contact person. I was constantly hugged at random by Aragon where as Castile would only pat my head with an occasional hug.  
In the short time they were here before I met the other three nations that were going to be a big part of my life I grew fond of them both. They became my only nation friends, and there were quite a few other nations running around. Namely the son of Gaul, a blue-eyed, blonde haired boy nation-who I wasn't too fond of and avoided-a small icy-blue eyed and blonde haired girl nation who had this little flipped piece of hair, and my brother.  
When I met my brother, _**matri**_ told me her name had changed since he had come. She was now Ancient Greece, and he was Greece. He looked like she did, same peridot colored eyes, same skin tone and same chestnut hair. With the arrival of my brother, _**matri**_ became occupied with raising him, leaving me alone more often than not. With the extra time I had less to do with _**matri**_ not around. I was no longer trying to sneak away at every moment I could, I would seek her out only to see her teaching my brother who seemed to sleep a lot.  
With having more time alone again now that _**matri**_ had my younger brother, I ended up meeting three sibling nations on separate days when I went to see Rome after he returned from a conquest trip. On the first day I met a young nation Rome had introduced as his grandchild, North Italy, or Veneziano. He had this copper-colored hair and a friendly smile, and amber eyes like Rome that he didn't seem to open much. Veneziano had inquired who I was but I was unable to answer him, Rome decided to. Rome introduced me to the young nation, not as a conquered island, but as family. Veneziano has instantly started saying stuff about me being his sister, a wink from Rome had left me to just go with it. The next day, Rome introduced me to two other young nations that he told me were his other grandchildren. South Italy, or Romano, and Sardinia. Romano was the oldest by a few decades as a nation, with Sardinia being the youngest by a century and a half. Romano seemed nice, but he had a slightly course tongue, bitter hazel colored eyes, and he was a bit harsh to his younger brother Sardinia. Rome introduced me to them as their sister, and Romano had looked at me strangely.  
I could understand how they could call me family, I had a curl exactly like Romano's, though mine was just below my ear. What struck me as odd, Sardinia was the youngest brother but he had honey-blond hair instead of a brown colored, and no curl like the other two with sea-green eyes instead a brown or darker green. It puzzled me and I figured that maybe it didn't matter.  
As more time passed while I stayed with Rome I watched other nations grow up before me and leave, one in particular.

* * *

I was sitting in Rome's orchid in an apple tree eating one of the fruits when I saw Aragon, now physically the age of a thirteen year old, jogging up to me.  
"Sicily!" Aragon said in his accented voice.  
"Yeah?" I asked in a skeptical tone.  
He beamed a smile at me as he scaled to tree to get to where I was before sitting down beside me.  
"Me and Castile are going back with mama to our future lands, isn't that exciting?" He said happily. I stopped snacking on the apple to look at him warily.  
"You're leaving?" I asked, he nodded in reply, "How the hell did you get Grandpa to agree to that?"  
I'd taken to calling Rome my grandfather now that Veneziano always called me his sister when he saw me. Besides, he always called him that anyways, why shouldn't I if I'm family?  
Aragon shrugged at the question.  
"Don't know, but we'll come back as soon as we can," He said.  
"Fine, bastard," I said.  
"You spend a lot of time with South Italy, don't you?" He questioned.  
I rolled my eyes before replying, "Yeah, he's my brother."  
I had taken to spending a lot of time with Romano, his course way of talking had definitely started to rub off on me here lately.  
Aragon laughed and ruffled my hair.  
"Bastard, don't do that!" I yelled and pushed his hand away before fixing my hair and grumbling under my breath about stupid idiots.  
"Aw~, don't be like that~!" He said closing his eyes when he looked at me with a huge grin.  
"Do what I want," I mumbled. I looked at him once he looked away, "Aren't you leaving?"  
He nodded his head, "Soon. Castile will come get me before they leave. I told her I wanted to spend some time with my friends before I left."  
"Whatever, stupid idiot," I mumbled before tossing my now finished apple down onto the ground.

* * *

After Aragon left I spent more time with my new "brothers". Namely Romano because he was someone I liked being around. Grandpa was always trying to teach us new things, though more often than not me and Romano weren't around. Eventually when Grandpa left for a long time, he took Veneziano and Sardinia with him and left me and Romano behind. It felt like he liked those two more, he never bothered to have someone come find us when we weren't around. We didn't know until Grandpa told us that he was leaving. I knew it bothered Romano just as much as it bothered me, I could see it in his hazel eyes.  
Aragon never did return, and within a few years of him leaving Grandpa's health seemed to take a bad turn. I tried caring for him as much as possible, and he did get better for a time. He had to try and maintain his authority over some of the older nations who wanted to leave him. They were kept calm enough to not put a large revolt in, though some of them tried. _**Matri**_ left for some time with my younger brother, I don't know if she ever returned after.  
Then there was the day, that would forever be imprinted into my mind.

* * *

I was looking for Grandpa, Romano tagging along just to see what I was up to since I wouldn't tell him. Secretly I was glad to have him following, I wasn't sure why but my brother had become important to me. With _**matri**_ and my real brother gone, I didn't really have anyone anymore. I had been told by a maid that Grandpa had finally returned and I was eager to see him again.  
I turned a corner to see Grandpa talking to one of the first nations I met, Germania. Knowing that it wouldn't be alright to just interrupt even though I wanted to see him, I went back around the corner and peered around it to watch.  
They looked like they were discussing something important, though I couldn't tell what. Grandpa seemed very weary, and I didn't see a grin that was common for him. He was frowning, and Germania seemed irritated about something. That's when it happened. Germania pulled out his sword and ran it through Grandpa. I watched Grandpa's pained expression before Germania pulled his sword out and laid Grandpa on the group, still speaking to him.  
I bolted away, I couldn't believe I had just seen that. Hopefully Grandpa will be okay though, he needs to be okay. He'll be alright, right?  
I heard footsteps behind me and I turned to see Romano tackle me to the ground.  
"Ouch!" I shouted and pushed him off, "Watch where you're going idiot."  
He looked at me with a frown(something I had accepted as being normal for him) and I tilted my head slightly to the left as I looked him in the eyes.  
"Grandpa's gone," he said softly, "that stupid bastard is gone."  
"He's going to be alright," I said firmly, though I didn't believe those words myself. Romano shook his head and stood up before running away. I stared after him as the reality that he might not be alright hit me.  
"Be alright, please be alright," I whispered softly.

* * *

It was only the next day when I was told Grandpa was gone, but half the empire he had built still lived. Byzantine was the remaining part of the empire, and he was trying to remain in control of his half still.  
Without Grandpa, the older nations left and returned to their lands. Romano and I stayed for a time, we had nowhere to go really. I heard that Veneziano and Sardinia were eventually sent to their lands by some of the servants who went with them to take care of them. Eventually, I was sent back to my land to with some servants as well. I promised Romano I'd see him again, though I didn't know how long I would be away on my island before seeing him.

}=={|}=={

"Oh wow, That's a lot to take in," Belgium said softly.  
Sicily shrugged, her lips trembling as she spoke, "When _**nonno**_ died...I don't think I'd ever felt so...helpless because I was just a child. It had never been a problem...being a child nation, not until then."  
"What happened after you went back to your island?" The Belgian inquired.  
Sicily tapped her nails on the arm of the wooden chair for a few quiet moments before answering.  
"After I returned things were normal for a time. Then things changed again for my island," She started, and the story continued.

* * *

**I think this turned out okay...maybe? I like it.** **Sicily's growing more into her ****true personality now as well. Next chapter we'll see her develop a bit more into it. Not really sure how that's going to turn out though...**

**History time~!**

**The Roman Empire was originally called the Roman Republic but when Julius Caesar declared himself a dictator for life it began to change since the Roman Republic was crumbling. Historians usually date the beginning of the Roman Empire from 27 BC when the Roman Senate gave Gaius Julius Caesar Octavius the name Augustus, the first emperor of the Romans who later gained power that transformed the dying Roman Republic into the Roman Empire.**  
**Ancient Greece came under the control of the Romans in 146 B.C. following a defeat of the Corinthians at the Battle of Corinth.**  
**Hispania officially came under the rule of the Romans in 17 B.C. by Caesar Augustus who conquered the Iberian peninsula. The conquest began in 218 B.C. when the Roman landing at Empúries. In 197 B.C. the part of Hispania that was controlled by the Romans was split into two different providence's known as Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior, with the former going into rebellion the same year but it was put down fairly quickly even when the rebellion was quelled then reignited. Soon the Romans conquered Lusitania with two crushing victories, one in 189 B.C. and the other in 185 B.C. Celtiberia, or the central area of Hispania, was officially conquered in 181 B.C. Hispania was also a part of Julius Caesar's war against Pompey for control of Rome as well.**  
**Germania Magna started to come under the rule of the Romans in 12 B.C. In 6 A.D., all of Germania Magna up to the River Elbe was temporarily pacified and occupied by the Romans. They planned to conquer and incorporate all of Magna Germania into the Roman Empire but in 9 A.D. it was thwarted when the Romans were defeated by German tribesmen in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. Due to this Augustus ordered them to withdrawal from Germania Magna (which was completed by AD 16) and the established boundary of the Roman Empire and Germania Magna became the Rhine and the Danube.**  
**Britannia began to come under the rule of the Romans in 43 A.D. under Emperor Claudius. Augustus had prepared invasions in 34 B.C., 27 B.C. and 25 B.C. though all three were called off for various reasons preventing them from conquering Britannia. It came fully under Roman rule in 84 A.D. because of Gnaeus Julius Agricola's successful campaign against the natives of Scotland and Wales.**  
**The actual reason for the fall of the Roman Empire has been debated, some attributing it to the region Germania Magna, some say it had to do with the size of the actual empire and it being split.**

**Note: What is it with Romans and the name Julius? It seems pretty popular back then, no? *counts**

**I expect the next chapter to take a bit longer, so in turn I'll try extra hard to make it longer for you all! It's gonna hold a bit more history so I have to work on it a bit more~. Or, if I feel lazy it'll be up when it should, next week...that is if my darling editor will post it for me~. And you know, if I get around to finally typing it up for editing. It's halfway written, and I just need to finish that, wish me luck!**  
**See you next chapter my lovely readers~. Drop a review if you don't mind to tell me what you think~?**

_**Szeretettel**_**,**  
**AngelHairCurls**


	6. Changing Hands

**_A/N 1: Oh. My. GOSH. Guys I'm so sorry that this chapter is so freaking late! I think this is the third time I've written this chapter, I lost the first one(which was half finished) then I had to change phones because my last one needed a new battery but since I was able to get a new one I did, so I had to start over AGAIN. You can say that I was agitated about restarting this chapter again but after my lovely beta SomeAuthorChick kept getting on to me about writing it I finally was able to finish this chapter and because I want to apologise so much to you guys I've got THREE chapters for you guys. So, enjoy!  
A/N 2: Ah, yes, I killed Rome last chapter. Am I sorry? Sort of~. Yet, it sets in motion many things that are to happen. You, my darling readers, will see….hm, in a few chapters the start of many things!_**

**Sicily: Oh just shut the fuck up already!  
AngelHairCurls: Do you not like this occurrence? :3  
Sicily: Hell no, I thought the bastard would actually make a nice friend when I met him and he had the nerv—  
AngelHairCurls: *gags Sicily* SHHHH! Do not spoil it for them! Your story is known to no one besides me and you and….well the other nations that really know you. But still! Do not go off and tell them everything! Sicily: *knees Angel in the stomach* AngelHairCurls: Ow! Okay! I understand!**

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I possibly ever own Hetalia. I do own Sicily, most of the OC's (besides the little blonde nation you are going to meet and another one later~) and the story. Everything else belongs to history itself and the historical figures belong to themselves~

A thanks to all my Ninja!readers/favouriters/followers/reviewers: You guys are awesome!

_{Rulers are ruled  
And subordinates passed around  
But when it comes down to it  
A nation can not always be ruled by just one  
For sometimes they become too strong  
And other times they are just too frail}_

* * *

I ended up being ruled by a nation who went by Vandals some time after I went back to my island. It wasn't a very long rule really, about half a century. I got to see Aragón and Castile a few times since they were partially under Vandals rule, along with that one nation—France —I don't really like, as well as that one girl that had a little flip in her hair. She lived with us but she was pretty much there and gone most of the time. I got curious as to who she was, but I could never get her attention so I could sate the curiosity of who she was. I do remember seeing her a few times when I lived with Grandpa Rome to, though she was mainly around Gaul and France. I always wondered if she was related to them. With the blue eyes and blond hair I could guess she might be France's sister. Though one day when Vandals was out I did finally get the chance to meet the girl.

* * *

}=={|}==(

* * *

I looked down from the balcony that belonged to Vandals house. It was peaceful out here away from the humans, even if he was just a jerk and too strict for me to handle. The view was nice, the tall golden grass that waved gently in the breeze and the hills that were around the house. My island was lovely, though I wish I wasn't owned by another nation and made to live here still. The breeze that was blowing was cool and warm at the same time. It was wonderful.  
I heard a slight shuffling behind me and I turned around to see who it was. Ice-blue eyes met mine and the other persons widened quickly when our eyes met. It was the little blond girl who always was able to avoid me. She squeaked in terror and started to run off.  
"No wait! Don't run off!" I shouted and ran after her. I chased her down the hall and down the stairs to the second floor. She looked behind herself to see me before ducking into one of the rooms just off the main hall and I followed after her. It was mostly empty and only had one way in and out, which the blond girl figured out quickly after I entered the room after her. She turned around and saw me and had a frightened expression.  
"Don't hurt me!" She cried out to me in terror as she hid her face with her arms, her Latin holding a different sound to it.  
"I'm not going to hurt you," I told her and my emerald orbs met her ice-blue ones. She lowered her arms and stared at me. She couldn't be much older than me in physical age, and she was about my height. I held my olive toned hand out to her with a small smile. "I'm Sicily. Who are you?"  
"Corsica," she replied tentatively but took my hand with her own slightly lighter hand and smiled back, "are you my friend?"  
I looked at her with a shocked expression before smiling again and nodding my head.  
"Yeah, I'm your friend."  
Her smile grew just a bit more and I could feel as if the friendship would be a solid thing in my long life.

* * *

]==[|]==[

* * *

After that we were good friends to each other. We spent a lot of time with each other, doing all sorts of things. Sometimes we would just go outside and lay under one of the trees as we watched the clouds roll by slowly.  
We even changed hands of superiors together. After Vandals was run off by another Germanic nation by the name of Ostrogoths—we called her Goths all the time for short—she took us under her wing. My brothers Romano and Veneziano joined us over time along with some other nations, some that I knew and others that I didn't.  
Goths was much nicer to us than Vandals. Plus her king, Theodoric the Great, embraced my grandfather's culture and way of life. He wanted to bring back Grandpa Rome's government, culture, and even allowed the people religious freedom, even if he was a Germanic king. When I had asked him why he had just smiled, tousled my hair and told me that it was better that way. I guess you could say that despite my grandfather being murdered by a German, I respected this king. After all, he wasn't as bad as I had expected from a German.

* * *

}=={|}=={

* * *

I was laying around outside Goths house in my eldest brothers land under a tree with Corsica in peace. She had fallen asleep a while back and I was close to falling asleep as well under this warm shade on the soft grass with the peaceful breeze that was blowing gently across the grass. I closed my eyes again as I started to drift off but then I felt someone poking me in my side. I opened my eyes to look at the person to see Romano looking at me with a big frown.  
"Romano? Are you alright?" I asked in a concerned tone. Romano was the closest thing to real family I've had since matri left and Grandpa Rome died. I didn't always spend time with him anymore but I always made sure to see him each day.  
"Who is she?" He asked pointing to Corsica who was sleeping soundly, her blond hair spilling out around her, ice-blue eyes closed and her light colored skin showing up a light brown against the white dress she was wearing.  
"Her name is Corsica," I replied and he nodded his head before scurrying away as quickly as he could. I stared after him, confused by his actions. He was an odd nation, even if he was my brother. I laid back down and got comfortable on the grass to sleep under the warmth of the sun.

* * *

]==[|]==[

* * *

It wasn't many years after that when Goths came and took me away from everyone, saying that the Byzantine Empire was trying to get his hands on me so he could take me and my brothers back. Goths wasn't going to give me up without a fight.  
We went north to where she said her people could protect me better. I had to hope she could protect me, otherwise I would lose my brothers and Corsica and I would be alone again. In the end we stopped at a village farther north than any of my brothers land. It was colder here than what I was used to.  
We stayed there together for a long time, sleeping in a small house on straw beds with blankets covered in furs to keep us warm in to cool nights. I didn't leave the small house often without Goths, mainly because I couldn't speak to the other people in the tiny village. We had a single servant who she had brought with us who understood both Latin and the language the people in the village spoke, something strange sounding and hard for me to make out. Eventually though, Goths had to leave to fight.

* * *

}=={|}=={

* * *

"I'm leaving now Sicily," Goths said to me in a low tone, the hood of her dark brown cloak up, her long light brown hair spilling out the sides, her mouth in a thin line and her dark brown eyes looking at me with a serious expression. Her pale skin shone in the moonlight, so much lighter than my own olive skin tone. It was still odd that nations could be as pale as her and sometimes lighter.  
"Alright," I said and reached out to take her hand in mine before doing one of the many things both **_Matri_** and Grandpa had taught me, pray.  
"Minerva, goddess of wisdom, protect this woman as she goes out to fight. Bless her in her quest and I ask of you to let what must happen to do so."  
I let go of her hand and smiled at her. She stared at me for several seconds before she patted my head and left to the edge of the village. She got on a black horse before taking off in the night alone. I turned around and went back to the small house we had been staying in.

* * *

]==[|]==[

* * *

Months had passed since Goths had left, and my servant had ended up dying of some illness which made me sad and left me alone in the village. I spent my time after she had passed away with some of the children in the village. We couldn't understand each other really, but through simple gestures we were able to understand what the other was saying to an extent.  
Theodoric eventually came and got me from the small village and had me staying with him now, in his capital of Ravenna. It was a beautiful place, but he liked to keep me in his palace where he was sure I would be taken care of by the servants. There were plenty of rooms, most empty but a few had some things in them.  
It was rather dull in the palace despite all the wonderful things I could do to entertain myself. I spent some of my time in the library with my servant. One of the servants in the palace, who was my personal servant actually, had started teaching me how to read a book. It was Latin, that much I could tell when the servant spoke, but it took time before I was able to read it myself. She was nice and encouraging even though it was hard for me to read still.

* * *

}=={|}=={

* * *

I was wandering around in the library of the palace waiting for the servant who was teaching me to read. I had just found a nice spot to sit on the floor by one of the shelves when she appeared. She sat down beside me, a book that didn't look like the one we had been reading from held to her chest as she arranged the skirt of her dress.  
"Can you read this?" the servant asked me after she had made herself comfortable on the and handed me the new book, already open to a page. I took the book and looked at the page that was open for a moment before I began to slowly and shakily read the words. The woman smiled softly and helped me with some of the words, she was gentle and didn't get frustrated or angry easily. I liked her well enough because she was kind.  
Suddenly there was a shouting from the hall and I set the book down in my lap to stare at the door. The servant put her hand on my head before telling me to stay put and leaving the room, drawing a dagger from the folds of her dress as she did. I sat there for several moments, wondering what was happening when the door to the room opened suddenly.  
Standing there was Goths, her face set into stone with hard dark brown eyes. She scanned the room before her eyes landed on me in the corner away from the door. She motioned with her hand for me to follow her. I stood up, placing the book on the floor before I followed her out of the room, down three flights of stairs, out the front doors of the palace and to the stables.  
There one of the stable boys was holding onto a chestnut bay that was ready to ride. She picked me up off the ground swiftly, setting me on the front of the saddle and climbed on behind me. She kicked the horse in the sides and it began to hurry its way out of the palace court yard, towards the city.  
"Keep your head down, the King can't know that you're leaving," she said sternly and I did what she said, keeping my head down as we rode out of the city at a fast pace in the late evening.

* * *

]==[|]==[

* * *

We rode for several weeks south, passing many different places and getting several different horses along the way to continue our journey. Goths didn't say much about what was going on, even when I asked. "It's what had to happen," she said every time I asked. It was frustrating to me, was I not allowed to know what was going on? It must have to do with me if I was with her, right?  
In the end she had brought me back to where the others were. It was late when we arrived, the moon beginning its descent across the sky. I was tired, but I kept my eyes open since I didn't want to fall off the horse. The steady trot we were using was putting me to sleep with the rocking motion it was creating. Since no one had been expecting us only a few of the servants were awake. One of them took me off the horse and made sure I was unharmed before taking me inside to take me back to my old room up in the northern part of the house. After making sure I was settled in and alright they left the room and I went to sleep, not knowing what tomorrow would bring.

* * *

}=={|}=={

* * *

"Sicily!" a familiar voice said, waking me up from my sleep. I opened my dark green eyes and blinked several times in the process, only to see a pair of bright blue ones staring at me with a glint of happiness, a wide smile upon her light pink lips and blond hair spilling over her shoulders slightly, the early dawn light of the ascending sun casting a more golden color to her.  
"Corsica?" I mumbled in my half-asleep daze. She grinned and tackled me into a hug.  
"I'm so glad you're back!" She exclaimed cheerfully. I panicked for a moment before calming down and returning the hug.  
"It's good to see you again to," I replied with a yawn. She let go and laid down beside me on the bed.  
"What happened to you?" Corsica asked me with large eyes, a somber expression on her face. "We went to bed one night and then when I came to see you the next day you were gone. "  
"Goths took me away to a village up north. She told me Byzantine was trying to take me away so she figured I'd be safer there while she fought," I told her and yawned. After that both of us were silent and I drifted back off to sleep, the peaceful silence like a lullaby to me.

* * *

]==[|]==[

* * *

I stayed with them for months, enjoying being around Corsica and Romano again. Eventually I got them to meet and while Romano was shy and didn't say much when she was around, I think I could see a friendship begin to form between them. It wasn't hard to imagine, Corsica was energetic and positive most of the time. It seemed to make it hard for other nations to not like her. Even then, unless I made Romano, he wouldn't hang out with Corsica often. It was weird I guess, but there weren't that many of us girl nations so I think it intimidated him in some ways.  
Besides Corsica, **_matri_**, Goths, Hispania, Britannia, and Castile I hadn't seen any other female nations. There just weren't that many of us I guess. It was odd I suppose, that there were so many guys compared to us girls. Still, a few of the guy nations were nice. Like Aragón, Rome, Veneziano, and this nation called Transylvania. He was really outgoing and friendly, but a bit rude sometimes. He was a nice friend, though, Romano didn't seem to like him. I don't think my brother likes that many people anyway.

* * *

}=={|}=={

* * *

It was another bright and sunny day, but from the east I could see clouds that were dark rolling in, meaning that there would be plenty of rain happening soon. I breathed in the smell of the coming rain, it made the earth smell pleasant and everything seemed to come alive after the rain. In the distance appearing from the same direction of the clouds I could see a figure approaching on what appeared to be a horse. Figuring it was Goths returning from a long trip away again I said nothing to Corsica as the person on the horse drew closer.  
"We should probably go inside," I said to the blue-eyed nation and she nodded in agreement.  
"Yeah, it's going to rain soon," she said and skipped away, going back to the house. I looked back at the approaching figure, wondering why I felt as if they weren't actually Goths, but someone else instead.  
"Come on Sici!" Corsica yelled from the other side of the large field and I looked at her before running after her, wondering if it was just my imagination or if it was real.

* * *

**So, that just took us through the beginning of the Early Middle Ages, and the next chapter shall reveal more of this time! So for now~**

**History time~!**

**While the Roman Empire was falling apart a Germanic tribe by the name of Vandals took Sicily under its controls around 440 A.D. under Geiseric(their king) and had already taken possession of places in Roman Spain and France which made them an important power in Europe at this time. Soon though these lands were taken and conquered by another East Germanic tribe by the name of the Ostrogoths, or Goths for short. Their conquest of Sicily(and pretty much of Italy all together) began in 488 A.D. under Theodoric the Great, and although they were a Germanic tribe, Theodoric wanted to revive Roman culture and government and even allowed freedom of religion to his people. Then the Gothic War(535 A.D.—554 A.D.) began where the Byzantine Empire was fighting the Goths because they wanted to take back the land and claim all the land that had previously belonged to the Roman Empire, starting with Sicily.  
Ravenna is actually a city in Italy, during this time it was the capital of the Ostrogoths empire they were trying to build. It's located in northern Italy on the coast. North of present day San Marino, slightly southeast of Bologna, and south of Venice.  
Transylvania is one of the three places that today make up the country of Romania. Wallachia and Moldavia are the other two. Canon-wise Wallachia is now the personification of Romania but it's not clear if Moldavia is now Moldova, since Romania calls Moldova his little brother. As for Transylvania, who knows? I have an idea for these three later on….  
France(in name) during this age was not formally established(wouldn't for a couple hundred years) but the area was controlled by Germanic Franks who ruled it for a few centuries. West Francia(or Kingdom of France) was established in 843...it's the late 530's currently..**

**One last thing, that part about Rome and Greece teaching Sicily about praying, she wasn't necessarily meaning CATHOLICISM, if that had been your original thought. The Roman Empire is well known for creating Roman Catholicism but it wasn't just Catholic, which when created was FAR from being liked during this time. The empire also has Roman Paganism and some other religions of its own. I didn't want to seem….ignorant of the fallen empire's religions or lean more towards a specific religion, but I kind of had to. My thoughts on her was that she knows it all, she just chose that type of prayer (Yes Paganism has its own form of prayer [no, I'm not talking about sacrifice. That's not true about all Pagans, trust me I know quite a few.]) because it felt right to her at the time. That, and her time with Greece, she would be a bit more comfortable with the Greek deities, just using their Roman form.**

**_Amb l'amor,_****  
AngelHairCurls**


	7. The Fire That Burns

**_A/N: Ah, here we go again! Time for more of the Early Middle Ages and for you all to see who the mysterious figure was!_**

**Sicily: It really shouldn't be that hard for them to guess you know.  
AngelHairCurls : Yes, but, I didn't particularly drop many clues in the last chapter. It could be different from what they suspect!  
Sicily: -_- surrounded by idiots AngelHairCurls: Who, me? Nah~. It could be worse. You could have to deal with Sardinia.  
Sicily: Oh hell no!  
AngelHairCurls: Then don't complain! :D but lets get on with this story now~.**

Disclaimer: Only the story line and certain OC's belong to me. Corsica belongs to a dear friend of mine and everyone else belongs to either history(like the historical figures) or Hima-papa! :D

_{Stolen by night  
And taken away to a distant land  
I wonder why it seems I am so wanted  
Yet under her guidance I learn  
But there's something inside that grows  
And it burns like the sun}_

* * *

A few minutes after having gone back inside to be safe from the rain we heard it begin to fall. I looked out the window (something called glass was in them which I hadn't seen much of outside of the places where I have lived) to see the rain coming down heavily.  
In a way I thought it looked pretty, the dark gray, almost black clouds and the silvery colored rain that was falling. It was nice in a way, and I felt Corsica poke my shoulders to get my attention. I looked at her with a blank expression, my mind caught in a whirl of colors and images from my past life. Things that were apart of her but not of me. Or were they apart of me? She and I were kind of the same person even though seeing things through her eyes was different and the language was something I didn't really know.  
"Are you okay? You looked lost," Corsica said in a worried tone. I smiled at her and she smiled back.  
"Just remembering, nothing more than that," I replied and walked away from the window, heading up the stairs with Corsica bounding ahead and she was down the hall in moments to the little alcove with the few toys we owned.

* * *

}=={|}=={

* * *

It was late, and Corsica said she was hungry so we went to the kitchen. When we entered the cook looked at us and he nodded as we took some of the apples off the counter and munched on them while we talked about my **_matri._**  
"What was she like?" Corsica asked me, I took another bite and chewed on it slowly as I thought.  
"She was really nice to me," I started, "but she could also be a bit protective once we lived in Grandpa's empire. I stayed in Grandpa's house once I got tired of her following me around his city all the time. I guess if she hadn't I wouldn't have met most of the nations I did while living with Grandpa."  
"She sounds like a nice mother." I nodded in return to that as I bit off another piece of my apple.  
"What about you?" I asked her curiously.  
"I grew up on my island with my people. I don't remember much about it, it was really similar each day. I was older than anyone but I was too small to do much. I do remember that even then someone ruled over me. I don't know who though," she replied. "I didn't really fit in even when Rome took me in. France and Gaul were the first nations I met after I got there, I guess I just settled with having them."  
I could understand that, I hadn't really tried to make friends with many of the nations and the ones I had were accidental. Aragón and Castile had met me because I had been following Grandpa around when he had started talking to Hispania, their mom. We finished our apples and left the kitchen.  
Corsica yawned as we walked away from the kitchen. I looked out one of the windows we passed and noticed it was even darker than before we went in to the kitchen.  
"Tired?" I asked her and she nodded. We went up the stairs and went our separate ways; me to my bedroom and her to her own. I stopped at my door and went back to the stairs to look out of the windows again, wondering who the mysterious figure was. They hadn't been seen as far as I knew, but maybe they had gone by. Maybe they had passed by on their way to another place past this house.  
It put my mind at ease and so I climbed the stairs again and went to my room, yawning as I did and climbed into bed before blowing out the candle by my bed.  
Tomorrow should be another good day.

* * *

}=={|}=={

* * *

I awoke to a figure standing above me. In the darkness I couldn't tell who it was, but the figure wasn't someone who I recognised in my half-awake state. They touched my forehead gently and then picked me up. I flailed and went to scream but a hand clamped over my mouth, keeping me silent.  
"Don't say a word," the person growled lowly. I whimpered in terror, panic filling me. My eyes had something thrown over them to keep me from seeing and I was swiftly taken out of the house without any problems.  
The cool night air greeted me as the soft swish of grass underfoot told me we weren't walking down the path. Suddenly I was set in the saddle on a horse and the clothes across my eyes were removed. Under the pale moonlight I could see that the person was tall compared to me, but they were wearing a travelling cloak with the hood up so I couldn't tell who it was.  
"Don't be afraid," the voice said, it was higher pitched and feminine sounding. It seemed familiar, but I couldn't place it. Even with her words, I was still scared. The woman got in the saddle behind me and with a sharp click of her tongue we were off into the night.  
We rode through the night across the country, and when dawn hit we finally stopped. I looked at the woman who's hood shadowed her face still. I had this strange feeling that I knew who she was. She got off the horse and then took me off before leading me a bit away from the road to a sheltered clearing where a place to sleep was set up out of sight of the road. She motioned to the tent-like structure.  
"You can sleep if you want. There's a blanket and a pallet to sleep on," she told me in a weary tone before sitting down in front of a tree. I stared at her for a moment before going into the tent. There was a pallet with a blanket folded on it and looking back at the woman I decided she deserved the blanket more than me.  
I picked it up and cautiously made my way over, placing it near her and she looked at me(I guess, I couldn't tell with her hood being up and the lack of light) but said nothing. After a few moments I went back into the tent and laid down on the pallet. With the hide the tent-like structure was made out of it was dark enough for me to sleep during the day so that's what I did, exhaustion taking over in moments.

* * *

}=={|}=={

* * *

Throughout the entire several months trip away from the others, the woman never told me who she was. She would have us travel by night and sleep during the day, and was gone if I woke up before dusk. It was weird that she would go to such lengths to keep who she was a secret from me. She didn't say much either, but she always seemed to have food and found plenty of it during our travels. We avoided towns to, never entering them, just passing around them. It seemed a bit odd to me, that we would avoid civilization.  
In the mountains she had me wear the blanket around myself to keep warm. Finally, after having crossed mountains, forest and plains we seemed to have reached the place we had traveled towards all this time. It was just as big as my last house, but the way it was built reminded me of my house on my island in Syracuse. It struck me as odd and I asked her in which nations land we were in.  
"Mine," the woman replied simply, a relaxed and longing tone in her voice. I looked up at her, still unable to see her beneath the hood. Something told me I knew who she was.  
"Can I know who you are?" I asked again. She stayed silent, and I looked ahead sighing. I wondered if she would ever tell me.  
"It's been some time since I've seen you," the woman said in a tongue as familiar to me as Latin.  
Greek.  
"**_Matri_**?" The astonishment in my voice didn't go unnoticed by her.  
"It's good to see you again my daughter," the woman—**_Matri_**—said in a fond tone that made me smile.  
"You came back for me," I said happily.  
"I was ordered to, by Byzantine. Sicily, he knows what we can do. I'm sorry," **_Matri_** relied solemnly. I looked up at her in shock and as I went to ask her /how/Byzantine knew of what I could do but we had stopped close to the house and someone else had come out to see us.  
**_Matri_** got out of the saddle and moments after she pulled me out and held me to her chest as she approached the person who had come out of the house. It was a man, taller than **_Matri_** with smooth, dark, shoulder length hair.  
"You have the child?" he asked in a deep voice.  
"I do," she replied softly, her grip on me tightening slightly.  
"Inside," he said and lead us back into the house. I looked at her but she looked straight ahead of us as she followed him.  
The inside of the house looked like I had expected it but some of the decorations weren't what I had expected to see. The statues that were on either side of the main room were two of the goddesses **_Matri_** had taught me much about when I was under her rule. Athena, the goddess of wisdom, and the other was Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, holding her son Eros, the winged god of love. They were full statues, tall and carved out of marble, which was odd because they were usually smaller.  
The guy stopped and turned around to look at us. He had auburn hair, skin almost the same color as my olive skin and eyes that were a dark brown, almost black color with a look in them that sent terror racing though me.  
"The child," the man said and pointed to the ground. **_Matri_** put me on the ground but I grabbed a hold of her cloak tightly.  
"Over here," he ordered me. I stuck my tongue out at him.  
"Hell no bastard," I said and I heard **_Matri _**take a sharp breath.  
"Sicily!" **_Matri_**exclaimed. "Where did you learn such a thing to say? That is no way to speak to your elder."  
"Romano taught me, he was the only person who seemed to care when my /brother/ came along and everyone else left," I grumbled angrily, not looking at either of them, my cheeks heating up slightly at the scolding. She didn't scold me very often and I didn't like it when she did. **_Matri _**sighed and put a hand on my head before kneeling down to look at me.  
"My daughter, look at me," she said softly and I did, "I'm sorry for that, but your brother was young and knew nothing about being a nation yet. I had to teach him, just like I had to teach you. When Rome died, I fled with your brother in fear back to our land. I had no intention to leave you but I couldn't find you before I left."  
"You came back?" I asked in confusion.  
"Yes, I left to show your brother our land and came back. When I returned I heard one of the servants shout that Rome was dead. I asked them if they knew where you were and they couldn't t—"  
"Enough."  
Matri and I looked at the guy. He was glaring at us with those cold, dark eyes that held unchecked malice in them.  
"Why do you even care about having me?" I asked coldly, acting braver than I felt against this nation.  
"Your powers, they're something I want," he replied, his grin holding just as much malice that it sent a shiver down my spine.  
"You can't have my powers. I won't let you use them," I replied as icily as I could manage.  
"Oh, you'll let me," he replied and snapped his fingers. A servant came out, holding a small boy who looked frightened with his mouth gagged and hands tied together. His peridot colored eyes held fear in worry in them.  
"My son!" **_Matri_** exclaimed and my eyes widened.  
"My brother!" I shouted and the feeling of having to save my little brother surged up. He looked at me and his eyes had a pleading look to them. I had to save him, he was my brother.  
"Family, it will make you weak," the man said with a smirk that said he knew he was going to get what he wanted. I looked at **_Matri_** and her gaze was focused on my brother, her face full of worry about Greece. I let go of her cloak and she looked at me but I turned and walked over to him. I could feel something simmering in me that felt like when I controlled fire, but this was stronger and felt like a blaze instead of simple heat.  
"So obedient when family gets involved," he said and patted my head. I recoiled from his hand with a glare.  
"Don't touch me," I spat, the blazing feeling growing stronger. It felt like it was consuming me.  
"Watch your temper," he growled, dark brown eyes revealing withheld fury, but it didn't phase me the slightest at that moment. I glared straight at him, not even holding back the fact that I hate him already.  
"Give me back my brother."  
"Gladly, as long as you listen to me. " I looked at my little brother and then **_Matri_**.  
"Fine, you jerk," I replied and he motioned for the servant to give Greece to **_Matri_**. **_Matri_** held him gently and carefully took the bindings and gag off of him and looked at me worriedly.  
"You take care of herByzantine, or I swear on Zeus that all of my land will go against you and take you out," she threatened, her peridot colored eyes looking at him sharply. He looked at her with a unimpressed smirk and didn't respond to the threat.  
"Come along Sicily," the man—Byzantine—said to me. I followed without complaint, even though I wanted nothing more than to tell him that I wasn't going to listen to a bastard like him. I did it for my little brother. I just can't wait to get away from this ass of a nation, he's power hungry and he's using me. I will not be used, I refuse to be used.

* * *

]==[|]==[

* * *

I spent years with Byzantine, his rough way of treating me made me despise him more and more. The only way to get that hate out was through using my fire. It just seemed to burn away the hate that built up inside of me.  
**_Matri_** and Greece were around though, it made it better knowing that I didn't have to be alone. Greece wasn't much of a talker, but when he did it sounded like he thought a lot about different things. He spoke in a slow voice, as if he was thinking about what to say as he said it. **_Matri_** kept me and Greece close to her, trying to protect us from the other nations.  
It was nice when Corsica came to live here and it was when Sardinia began to live with us that I realised he was trying to rebuild Grandpa's empire. He must have been crazy, he had been what remained of Grandpa's empire because he couldn't keep control over everyone. He would fail, he was nothing like Grandpa and he would fail just like him.

* * *

}=={|}=={

* * *

"Do you think we'll ever be able to live by ourselves and be independent?" I asked Corsica one day. We were cleaning the library up, apparently Byzantine thought that it would be better if we cleaned rather than him have servants to do that. It wasn't that bad usually, all Corsica and I had to do was make beds when they were occupied and clean both the library and his study. She looked up at me with her ice-blue eyes, wide with worry and then looked behind us to make sure we were still alone.  
"Maybe some day if we get stronger," she replied softly, placing her right, lightly tanned hand over my olive left one. I smiled and pulled my hand away as I walked to the low table to pick up a couple of the books on it. Reading the titles I took them each to where they belonged and put them away with some help by Corsica. After we had finished cleaning the library I yawned, tired from the cleaning.  
"Time for a nap?" Corsica asked me with a small smile. I nodded, rubbing my eyes and began making my way to my room for some sleep. She followed me to make sure I didn't fall asleep along the way and when we got to my room I opened my door only to see a figure standing by my bed.  
"Why are you here?" I asked.

* * *

**During this time period, glass was EXTREMELY easy to craft and therefore sorta cheap but only the wealthy people(nobility and higher) had it, the common man didn't usually have glass for some reason or another. They made lots of different wares and stuff with it.  
Athena is the goddess of intelligence and skill, warfare, battle strategy, handicrafts, and wisdom. She's the daughter of Zeus. Her Roman counterpart is known as Minerva.  
Aphrodite is the goddess of love, beauty, desire, and pleasure. She has a son called Eros who's the winged god of love and sexual intercourse(in Roman mythology he's called Cupid). She said married to Hephaestus but had other lovers, most notably Ares, Adonis, and Anchises. Her Roman counterpart is known as Venus.**

**History~!**

**Corsica and Sardinia were brought under Byzantine rule in 522(Corsica) and 534(Sardinia). Corsica had been under Vandals then Goths rule before being taken over by the Byzantine Empire in their conquest to reclaim all the lost territory of the former Roman Empire. Sardinia had been under Vandals rule before being surrendered to the Byzantine Empire.**

**[Sicilian] ****_Matri_****?-Mother?**

**_Sevgilerle,_****  
AngelHairCurls**


	8. To Ravenna We Charge

**_A/N 1: Well, alright then. Even I didn't expect that chapter ending. Eh, when a story begins to write itself then you will never guess what will happen. Like some of the later parts of the plot laid out in my head...most are rather unexpected. *DUN DUN DUUUUUNNNNN!*  
A/N 2: So, Ancient Greece has made her second to final appearance in the story. You're going to see her in one final section, but after that...er, she died..._**

**Sicily: No, she found a way to live despite her empire being gone and her son being the one who now controlled the land!  
AngelHairCurls: No need for the sarcasm Sicily! I know you miss your mother.  
Sicily: You don't know shit!  
AngelHairCurls: *pats Sicily on the shoulder* it's okay~, you're allowed to miss her.  
Sicily: *glares daggers at Angel*  
AngelHairCurls: Eheh~ ^-^; *backs away slowly* lets...just go ahead and get to this chapter before she hits me~**

Disclaimer: If I owned Hetalia, I wouldn't sit here and write fanfiction. I would make stuff canon and make more nations for Hetalians around the world to enjoy!  
Oh, and human names, ages and a complete height chart :3 did any of you know England is ACTUALLY the same height as France? (that translates to 5' 9") :O he is so tall!

_{A battle emerged  
My fire was called upon  
Forced to fight I did  
Then taken away I return  
Different, not the same as before  
To a palace of a King}_

* * *

The girl looked at me in surprise, her head whipping around swiftly. Her honey-gold eyes held an unreadable look to them. The light from the window showed that her skin wasn't much lighter than mine, more of an ochre than olive. Her hair was a dark mahogany color, straighter than my own but not straight. Her pale pink lips were straight, hiding whatever emotions the girl had.

"My name," the girl said in a voice that was low and soft yet loud enough to hear, "is Crete. I'm looking for a nation known as Sicily. Byzantine wants to see her, do you know where I can find her?"  
I scowled, I wasn't in the mood to deal with my 'ruler' at the moment. He was an asshole, greedy and wanted us to do whatever he asked.  
"Tell the jerk I'll be there in a bit. I want a nap after all that cleaning," I snapped at the nation, internally feeling bad for snapping at her since it wasn't her fault that Byzantine made me angry.  
"He said that you were to see him right now," she said and I sighed in an aggravated fashion, quelled the want of throwing a fit over being summoned like a servant, and told her that I would be on my way in a moment. She left moments afterward and I scowled again.  
"I'll see you in a little while Corsica, I better go see what that asshole wants," I said to her before waving and leaving to go downstairs to his study. I sighed, trying to keep my temper with him in check. I didn't need to give him any reason to hurt my family or my friends. When I got to his study I knocked on the closed door.  
"Come in," he ordered and I stuck my tongue out for a moment before doing what he said. I walked in, closed the door behind me and looked at him. He was sitting behind his desk reading one of the many books in here.  
"What do you want?" I asked. He glanced up from the book and glared at me but I didn't bother to correct myself on how I addressed him. I looked straight into his eyes and he slammed his book down on his desk.  
"Sicily, I'm tired of your attitude," he growled and I shrugged. He walked around his desk and stood a few feet in front of me. "But it's not like I have to deal with it. I'm taking you out with me and that fire of yours is going to help me, you hear?"  
"Like hell I'm going to do that!" I yelled back at him. Glare met glare, emerald met dark brown. I wasn't going to be some tool that he was going to use in his conquest. I felt his hand connect with my cheek, a sharp sting left behind. I held my cheek with my hands, it was throbbing and hurt to touch.  
"Asshole,"I growled and spat on his shoes. He picked me up by the back of my simple dark brown dress and held me up to eye level.  
"You will listen to me, and you will fight," he said in a low, commanding tone. I glared at him but stayed quiet. He smiled, but it had a dark undertone to it. One that sent a shiver down my spine. He put me back on the ground and I retreated away from him a few feet, my hands still on my cheek.  
"One of the servants will be by soon to make sure you will be protected," he told me and left the room, closing the door behind him. I huffed in frustration and dropped my hands to my sides. The previous tense atmosphere dissolved quickly and I moved over to the bookshelf before sitting down in front of it.

* * *

}=={|}=={

* * *

It wasn't long before one of the humans came into the room. She took one look at my cheek and I could tell by her expression she hadn't expected to see it. She helped me up and gently touched my cheek before muttering something about it going to be slightly discolored for a bit. I frowned and she took one of my hands in hers and led me out of the room.  
We went to a set of stairs that led down below the house. Odd enough that I don't remember seeing them before, but it could have to do with that I didn't wander to this part of the house. She took me down and when we reached the bottom of the stairs I looked around the candlelit room. It had a bunch of different weapons and some mail that I'd seen Byzantine wearing a few times.  
"He said this was for you," the servant said and handed a sheathed dagger to me. I took it and she put a weapons belt around my waist (it had been made for someone my size oddly enough) before attaching the sheathed dagger to it. She then put a small mail top on over my dress and made sure it fit me properly. She patted my non-injured cheek gently before telling me good luck and to be careful. I nodded and she led me back up the stairs and back across the house.  
When we reached the front door Byzantine was standing there waiting on me. He took note of both my mail top, and the dagger attached to the belt before telling (ordering me really) to follow him out. I waved good-bye to the kind servant before ducking out the door ahead of Byzantine. He took me to the stables where two horses were tacked up, one with a smaller saddle that also had a rope attached to the saddle of the other horse.  
"Boy! Help her up!" Byzantine yelled at one of the nearby humans tending to another of the horses. He did as he was told, since he was older in physical years he was tall enough to help me onto the saddle and made sure I was settled before stepping back. Byzantine had already mounted his horse and when I looked up he kicked his horse in the side, sending us off to wherever he was taking me.

* * *

}=={|}=={

* * *

We rode for many weeks through Byzantine's empire. When we reached a city by the sea we boarded a boat that took us across the water for many more weeks until we finally landed in a city called Carthage. Here Byzantine had us board another boat, and we landed on the coast of my island. We took the horses we had brought across the small stretch of sea and rode off around the mountain.  
When we reached the other side of my island we got on another boat that took us to the bottom of my brother Romano's land. From here we travelled northward, where we were headed I had an idea now. North to Veneziano's land, towards where his city of Ravenna was. The city that Goths called her capital.  
We rode through Naples and Rome, both already in Byzantine's hands. In both cities we stopped for rest and food. Before long we continued north at a steady pace. It was a long ride, and when we finally reached another group of soldiers in Byzantine's uniform we stopped to rest again.  
We were in Fiesole, one of Veneziano's cities. We had crossed from my eldest brothers land into my middle brothers land. I was helped out by a young man who got me off of my horse and handed me some food, bread and soup.  
I stayed away from the other soldiers who were talking among themselves about why I was here. I looked up at them and the young man was the only one who met my stare. He had….a distinct look to him. Not of pride or anything that struck me the same way that the looks Byzantine did. His were more…remorseful and guilty, I could tell by his stare.  
Here was a soldier who fought because he had to, not because he wanted. I pitied the young man, as he must have pitied me since I was physically a child. I broke the eye contact but every so often my eyes drifted back to him. He had soft black hair, greenish eyes and skin as dark as Byzantine's, maybe a bit darker.  
"Scyllias!" One of the soldiers said. They green-eyed man looked at them.  
"Yes sir?" He asked in a respectful tone.  
"Make sure that the girl Byzantine brought is attended to properly," they told him. By the looks of his armor the guy was a captain of these soldiers. The soldier, Scyllias, nodded and made his way over to me. I glanced at him as he walked over to where I sat on a log.  
"Are you tired my lady?" He asked. I stared at him for a few seconds before nodding my head. He held a hand out to me and it was a few moments before I took it. He led me past the soldiers who stared at me to a tent where he pulled aside the front and motioned for me to enter. I stepped inside to look around. There was a pallet with a blanket, and a bucket with water beside the wall. The rest was bare (there were leaves and twigs on the ground but that was besides the point).  
"If you are in need of something, you need only ask, my lady," he said.  
"You're name?" I asked him.  
"Scyllias son of Alexandros, Athenian," he replied. I nodded and gave him a light smile.  
"Thank you, Scyllias son of Alexandros." He did a slight bow before exiting the tent.

* * *

}=={|}=={

* * *

We spent a few weeks resting with the soldiers but eventually we had to ride out again. Scyllias was appointed to protect me while we rode to Ravenna. During the ride I learned a lot about Scyllias.  
He had a sister named Delphinia, she was living with their mother and grandparents while he and his father fought. Scyllias had grown up in Athens and had always wanted to fight for his nation, but not the empire. He was highly educated, having come from a wealthy family he could afford the tutors and books to learn. His gift, as he called it, was to be able to 'read' other people.  
"You're naturally curious but you also seem to hate Byzantine," he had said once. I had blinked in surprise, and he had then said "You're also a bit prone to holding in your emotions, especially when you're caught off guard by something."  
This man was serious, he could read people. After a few more moments I had bombarded him with various questions about the group. As it turned out, apparently the captain was none-to-happy about Byzantine and I accompanying him to Ravenna.  
Eventually the questions turned to me, who I was and why Byzantine had brought me along with him to take out the Ostrogoths.  
"I'm the island nation of Sicily. My brothers are North Italy, South Italy, Sardinia and New Greece. The Greece we know is now Ancient Greece, mother to a new nation. Ancient Greece is my mother, the Roman Empire was my grandfather. We're not really related, I was taken in by Ancient Greece and then by the Roman Empire but they're family enough I suppose," I said and looked ahead at the other nation that rode beside the captain. "Byzantine knows that some of us nations have powers, and I happen to be one of them."  
"Powers?" Scyllias asked me curiously. I took my right hand off of the saddle and held it palm up. A whispering of a few words and there was small flame flickering in my palm. The warmth that enveloped me from the use of my power made me feel happy and giddy inside.  
"Does it hurt?" he asked, reaching out with his left hand to touch the flame.  
"It might hurt you, but I don't feel it," I responded. He stopped his hand and smiled at me before putting his hand back on the saddle.  
"That's the most interesting thing, how many others do you think can do such a thing?"  
"I don't know," I said softly, the flame in my hand flickered out. "It's hard to say. I know of just one other, and she can use fire as well."  
"Do you think it's just the female nations who have them?"  
"It's possible, seeing as I know so few it might be something we were gifted to help us fight against the male nations."  
He carried on questioning me about nations, I didn't tell him very much. I only told him what little I knew he could know. When we finally saw Ravenna in the distance I could feel her presence. As if she was close to us.  
"We'll stop here for the night men! Tomorrow we strike!" Byzantine yelled, and I scowled.  
"And I hope she takes you down," I muttered under my breath. Scyllias looked down at me but I ignored his stare.  
"Come along my lady," he said and took us away from the others. He dismounted his horse, helped me down from my own and began setting up our tents. I sat down by my horse, a dusty mare who had dark eyes. She snorted before nudging my head softly, blowing into my hair. I patted her muzzle gently, she was a good horse.  
"You are a brave and strong girl," I said to her in Latin, earning a glance from Scyllias. I continued to speak to her, switching between Greek and Latin. Tomorrow was going to be different, I could feel it inside me.

* * *

}=={|}=={

* * *

When Scyllias brought me food later it was dark and the fire he had built outside our tents was nice and warm in this weather. Winter could have been worse, but Ravenna was free from snow right now. We ate in silence, the only sound being the crackling of the fire as it ate away at the logs. I welcomed the silence, it was a nice change from earlier where we talking. It gave me a chance to think about what he had said earlier.  
Could only the female nations have these powers? None of my brothers or any of the male nations I had met had shown signs of having them. Then again, **_Matri _**was the only other one I knew to even have powers. Could it be selective for only certain nations? It was possible I guess.  
I finished my food rather quickly and went into my tent for the night. Scyllias would be awake for some time before he went to sleep as well. He liked to keep watch over me before going to bed, it was nice in a way. No one had really looked out for me in the beginning of this trip, but it got tiresome after awhile as well. I felt chained, unable to do as I please. Even worse than knowing I had a ruler was being watched by someone who had to be loyal to him.  
'Humans can be such a pain', I thought, slightly bitter about not having my freedom. I heard a rustling sound suddenly, and I doubt I would have heard it if it wasn't so quiet. My hand went to the handle of my dagger that sat upon my waist, still in its sheath. I gripped it and slowly slid it out, holding it in a way that felt so familiar yet so foreign to me at the same time. Handle gripped so it sat between my thumb and fingers towards my face and the blade pointed outward.  
"Scyllias?" I whispered, but there was no reply.  
"Scyllias?" I poked my head out of my tent to see Scyllias asleep by the fire. I tensed up a bit more, I could feel something watching me in the distance. I walked out slowly and over to where Scyllias was. He was snoring softly, he must have been very tired. I put my dagger back in its sheath before placing a hand upon his arm.  
"Scyllias, wake up," I said to him. He mumbled something but opened his jade colored eyes slowly.  
"My lady?" He said slowly. "Is there a problem?"  
I shook my head no, "You fell asleep by the fire. You should go to sleep."  
He nodded and stood up before heading into his own tent for the night. I went back into my own tent but I couldn't sleep. I laid there on my pallet, willing myself to go to sleep. It was much later when I gave up and went back out into the night.  
The fire had burned out some time while I had been trying to go to sleep, it was nothing more than dying embers now. I looked up at the stars, getting myself lost in their numbers. A sudden rustle caused me to spin around, unsheathe my dagger, and have it to where I had it in a defensive position within moments.  
"Peace," a voice whispered from within the darkness.  
"Goths?" I asked in a whisper.  
"It's me, I've come to rescue you,"'she replied. I sheathed my dagger again and she came out of the shadows. She was wearing a dark clock to hide, but when she looked towards Scyllias's sleeping form I had to interfere.  
"Don't kill him!" I whispered angrily. "He is my ally!"  
Her gaze shifted to me, her dark brown eyes holding my own emerald ones for several moments before she nodded.  
"We take him with us then. Without a fight, otherwise we leave without him." I breathed a sigh of relief as I nodded in reply. She pulled out a smaller, dark brown cloak and tossed it at me. I caught it and put it on. When Goths had successfully gagged and bound Scyllias I walked over to them.  
"Please be quiet Scyllias, I don't want her to kill you," I said to him softly before she lifted him up on to her shoulders. I fetched my dusty colored mare and Scyllias's own chestnut stallion. I looked towards the main part of camp, everyone but a lone sentry was asleep. He wasn't even paying any attention to us so we left through the back of the camp.  
Once we had put a fair bit of distance between us and the camp Goths tossed Scyllias and then me onto my mare before she mounted his stallion. She clicked her tongue and we dug our heels into the horses side and we were off, back to Ravenna.  
It didn't take us very long to reach the city and before long we were back at the palace. It looked like it had before, but that had been years ago when I had last been here.  
As we trotted in to the palace yard we stopped. After Goths got off of the stallion she helped me down and then tugged Scyllias off of my mare. A stable boy came up and took both of the horses away.  
"King Vitiges would like to see you Sicily," Goths said to me as we walked up to the palace doors.  
"Release Scyllias, please," I asked her and stopped just inside the palace doors. She stopped as well, looking torn between doing as I asked and refusing. I turned towards Scyllias. "You won't try to hurt anyone, will you?"  
He shook his head no and I smiled at Goths. She sighed before ungagging him and cutting the rope binding his wrist. He placed himself just to the left of me and Goths led us farther into the palace.

* * *

**Welcome in my OC, Crete! She's been in the making, for a while now. Partly to blame for the delay in chapters because I had to pin down a physical look and a personality for her. But, now, here she is!  
And some of this chapter in general was difficult to write. Inspiration kept flaring up and down. It was mostly whatever flowed from my fingertips as I typed :3  
Also, the soldier, Scyllias. Yeah, remember him. He plays a role later on in the story. And I'm talking chapters upon chapters later. You'll see when it's time for him to reappear~ *coughdramacough*  
"Scyllias son of Alexandros, Athenian"-this is how a male Greek in ancient times was named usually. The name they were given, who their father was and if they weren't in the city they were born in, the city. So you see, Scyllias is the son of a man named Alexandros and from the city of Athens. The first born son was named after the paternal grandfather, the second son after the maternal grandfather and then with each son afterwards a male relative. Sons were hardly ever named after their father, but could have a name derived from or made of the same elements as his father. Not much is known about how women were named during this time since there is little documented about them, but it is believed that women followed the same naming system with the female side of the family.**

**History~!**

**Crete came under Roman rule in 59 B.C. and stayed under their rule into the collapse of the Roman Empire and stayed under the rule of the now Byzantine Empire until the 820's A.D. when it was taken over by Iberian Muslims.**

**And one last thing. I have belated birthday wishes! For those of you who know Homestuck, I'm wishing a belated birthday to John!  
*takes big breath* *belts out "Happy Birthday" for John***

**_Med Kærlighed,_****  
AngelHairCurls**


	9. From War to Peace

**_A/N: What's this? An on time update? :D I'm just as surprised as all of you, but let's head off!_**

Disclaimer: Ah, if I owned Hetalia, the wonders of it and my life. But, Hi—  
Forget it!  
Hetalia belongs to the amazing Himaruya Hidekaz! Forever and always!  
**Sicily: *slaps Angel on the back of her head* Stop with your stupid song references!  
AngelHairCurls: *rubs back of head with frown* But my song references are good! I could always make Homestuck references…  
Sicily: How the hell are you going to do that?  
AngelHairCurls: We're sharing a keyboard and taking turns typing to argue with each other x3 that's how!  
Sicily: *facepalm* Why did I even ask?  
AngelHairCurls: Because you were curious, that's why :D  
Sicily: Just start writing before I quit telling you my story.  
AngelHairCurls: ****Ah****, alright then, we will now start the story~.**

A thanks to all my readers/favouriters/followers/reviewers! :D

{Taken I stay here  
People arrive to help but it's denied  
More arrived and a deal is struck  
A battle was avoided by a promise  
And a king lost because of surrender  
Now I leave to never return}

* * *

It didn't take us long to go where the new king was. He was arguing with a bunch of other men who seemed to be arguing about surrendering or holding out and fighting back. I hope they weren't talking about fighting Byzantine, they wouldn't last against the army he had waiting to attack them with. When the king caught sight of us he silenced everyone.  
"Why are they here?" He asked Goths. She kneeled down before him and hung her head before responding.  
"My king, the child is the nation Sicily and the man in the armor is her guard."  
"You mean you left the city and went and took her from Byzantine's camp?" One of the other men asked. She lifted her head to look at him.  
"Yes sir, she was away from the others at the back of the camp. It was easy to retrieve her from them," she replied. He looked at the King who was staring at me and Scyllias.  
"Sicily," King Vitiges said, "since you were with the force that we will be facing, can you give us a number on how many will attack?"  
I thought about it, know that we had left Fiesole with many men and that some had perished on the way. I had heard that soldiers were sailing to block the river and that another force was coming from the north.  
"I can't tell you really, but it would be more than you could handle," I told him. He nodded and looked at the others in the room.  
"You see? It would be best if we surrendered, my king!" Another man said. Vitiges looked at him with a weary expression.  
"Goths, show Sicily and her guard to a room and meet us back here tomorrow," he ordered her and she stood up before bowing to him.  
"Yes, my king," she replied and took Scyllias and I out of the throne room.

* * *

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The following morning Scyllias and I were ushered back into the throne room by a servant. Upon entering I saw that Goths was in a heated argument about something with King Vitiges in a whisper. She caught sight of me and Scyllias and said, "We shall continue this discussion later I hope, my king". That had earned a nod as Vitiges turned his attention to me.  
"Sicily, they're besieging the place. Goths has told me we can survive for some time as it is, but not for forever. With the Adriatic being patrolled by the empire and being surrounded by men of the empire I fear we will have no choice but to give in," he said and I felt saddened. I was so close to leaving Byzantine's influence for good, and now I wouldn't be able to.  
"Does this mean Goths has to take me back?" I asked him. Goths interrupted whatever King Vitiges was going to say.  
"I will not, not until they take you back themselves," she said softly, her dark brown eyes holding a fiery look to them.  
"My king! My king!" A servant said as he ran into the throne room. He bowed quickly to King Vitiges before saying anything else. "A Frankish embassy has just arrived and is seeking an audience with you."  
"The Franks are here?" Goths said with a narrowed gaze. "I suggest we see what they want, my king."  
"I agree, bring them in," King Vitiges told the servant who scurried off the bring the Frankish embassy in. A few minutes later a small group of men walked in. Among them I could easily spot their personification who was…holding a smaller nation?  
"Welcome Franks," Goths said in our universal language, "I see you have brought one of your lands with you?"  
"It is good to see you again, Goths. This is West Francia, a future nation," Franks replied his own gray eyes looking to me. "I see you have a small nation of your own here as well."  
"My name is Sicily, I am the granddaughter of the great Roman Empire," I told him with pride. He nodded and bowed slightly to me.  
"One of great legacy, West Francia was raised for sometime by Rome when he was smaller," Franks said and West Francia looked at me. It was Corsica's brother of sorts, France. He must have been given a new name by Franks. Franks placed West Francia on the ground. "Go interact with the other young nation. Goths and I have much to discuss."  
I stood there as West Francia walked over to me. Scyllias placed a hand on my head, possibly trying to assure me he would not leave.  
"Hello, Sicily," West Francia said with a smile and held his hand out to me. I looked at him and then his hand. He wanted to be friends?  
"Hello, West Francia," I replied and looked up at Scyllias who was staring straight ahead. I looked at Franks and Goths on the other side of the room who looked pretty occupied by their conversation. I wonder what they're talking about with each other.  
"Franks wants to help Goths against some nation known as Byzantine," he said as he dropped the hand I hadn't taken a hold of. I looked at him curiously.  
"Byzantine needs to be dealt with," I told him, his eyebrow raised and I grabbed Scyllias's arm. "I want food."  
"Of course, my lady," he replied with a bow before looking for one of the servants. "Servant! Sicily wants food."  
The male servant nodded and came over to take me to the kitchen. I looked at Scyllias and then Goths who looked at me briefly before focusing on what Franks was saying to her. I cast a quick glance to West Francia as I left the throne room, in return he nodded at me and smiled. He seemed like such an odd nation.

* * *

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* * *

Franks and West Francia left, Goths said she couldn't trust Franks and his men to be there to help us when we needed them. She seemed a bit restless with Byzantine just outside the city walls. She said we were safe for now, and she was hoping that we would be able to somehow get through this.  
"What is the king going to do, Goths?" I asked, looking at her in worry. I didn't want to go back to Byzantine. I hated him, but at the same time I knew I couldn't leave my friend and my brother with him either.  
"King Vitiges is indecisive on his next course of action. We may surrender, we may fight. I do not know," she replied solemnly. I frowned and looked at Scyllias. He had hardly left my side since we had been brought here. Loyalty was obviously a big thing to him, and I enjoyed knowing that.  
"My ladies," a servant said and bowed, "the king wishes to see you."  
Goths blinked in surprise but nodded her head. Taking my hand in hers we walked from the kitchen where I had been watching Goths eat into the throne room where the king was. We bowed to him before he said anything to us.  
"Your king has sent some surrendering terms, Sicily," he said, addressing me.  
"I hope he has been just," Goths said and looked down at me then at Scyllias. I looked at Scyllias as well, he had been awfully quiet lately.  
"Much more lenient than I had expected from him. He willing to partition the land and let us have the lands above the Po River as long as they get everything below it," he told us and handed the terms to the person who stood beside him.  
"We'd have to move northward if we accept those terms," Goths observed.  
"It's better this way, Goths. I'm doing this for the people, and the people affected you," King Vitiges said and looked at me. "You're going to have to return to Byzantine, I do apologize for this."  
I stood there, shocked by him telling me that. Goths wasn't even trying to fight him, was she really giving me up? No one who ever seemed to care really was there. Fuck them all.  
"I hate you Goths!" I yelled before running out of the throne room.  
"Sicily, wait!" I heard her yell but I kept running as fast as my tiny self could. I ran up the large staircase to the second floor and then up more stairs when I found them which took me up to the third floor. There I ran in the first room I found, the room I had stayed in when I lived here. I closed the door and crawled under the bed, they wouldn't look under here for me.  
Time passed and I heard people running up and down the corridor outside the room every now and again shouting for me. When the door opened finally I didn't even look at who it might have been. I just laid there under the bed sulking. What I didn't expect was for them to sit down on the bed, that's when I looked at them. The person was wearing dark boots made of leather, who was it?  
"Sicily, I'm sorry," Goths voice said. "If I could convince the king otherwise we would fight, he's just not going to. He believes it would be better for us to give up. I can't go against him, even if I am the nation they fight for. I don't know how many times I've said I'm sorry for losing you before, I never expected for someone to steal you away.  
"Still, I'm sorry for being such a horrible caretaker. I took you away hoping to protect you myself until I was called away. I left you in that village alone, with no one besides a servant who died on you. The king had to go in and get you so you were no longer alone. I took you from him, hoping that when you were surrounded by other nations you would be safer, but you weren't."  
I blinked in awe at hearing what she had to say. How had she known I would be in here? Was she just going through the rooms and doing this?  
"I wish you hadn't run away, and I wish I knew where you were inside this palace. Maybe I'll find you, maybe someone else will. Just be safe, wherever you are."  
She sat there for several more moments and I thought she wasn't going to leave. I crawled forward and reached out to her boot and grabbed it. She shot forward, dragging me out from under the bed. It wasn't the most pleasant thing nor the worst that had ever happened to me, but I still didn't like it.  
"Sicily!" Goths exclaimed before scooping me up into her arms and hugging me to her. She began speaking lowly yet swiftly in her language. I didn't understand most of what she said, but I did hear her apologizing to me repeatedly. I hugged her back, I don't want her to let me go.

* * *

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* * *

Days had passed and even though King Vitiges had signed the terms for peace Justinian had sent with an embassy of its own, it turns out Belisarius had refused to sign the agreement as well. For now it looked as if I would still be here. I spent a lot of my time with Goths, she brushed my hair a lot and it was nice. We talked more than we had before and she seemed much more friendly than before. When I asked her about it she said it was the realization of losing someone you came to care for that changed you.  
"I learned that losing someone you care about is scary, and I'm hoping Byzantine will turn you and your brother over into my care and leave. Then I wouldn't have to worry about letting him take you from me."  
She amazed me sometimes, I don't think I cared about anyone that much besides my brothers. But the peace I felt could never seem to last.  
We learned that King Vitiges had offered Belisarius the right to become the emperor of the western part of Byzantine's empire. That had apparently satisfied Belisarius and he was going to come into the city. Goths had been silently angry about it, she hadn't been told until we were both called in and told that Belisarius was going to be in the city. I had been upset to know there was nothing that we could do now, peace had already been established and I was going back to Byzantine.  
The day Belisarius and his men were to ride in the city I sat in the library with Scyllias looking out at the townsfolk outside the palace.  
"I don't want to go back to him," I said softly and laid my head down upon my arms which rested on the windowsill. Scyllias looked at me, he had been really distant lately. I got the feeling he wanted to return to his role as a soldier, not be a bodyguard to me.  
"You have no choice in the matter, my lady," he said and I huffed. He was right though, that's what bothered me more than anything. I wanted my independence from Byzantine. If I was going to be under his rule I want my independence. I'm tired of everything he's done to me, I'm a nation not a slave or a servant. I deserve better than how he's treated me.  
"My lady," a servant said from behind me. I looked at them, not even remotely interested in what they had to say, "Goths wishes to see you."  
I nodded my head and she took me to where Goths was waiting for me, Scyllias trailing along behind us the entire time. When we stepped into my room (I had actually been staying in my old room since the day I had hidden in here) she looked at me and smiled. I smiled in return, but didn't really feel the smile.  
"I have a gift for you before you leave," she said. "Come here."  
I walked forward to see what she had gotten me. It was a pretty little dress, really dark in its color but I liked it.  
"Your dress bottom is ragged and torn, I figured you might want something new," she said and handed me the dark green dress. I looked at her in awe, no one really bought me anything colorful. I usually wore something brown or gray, not something such a dark green. I hadn't received new clothes like this since I lived with Grandpa.  
"Thank you," I said softly and she kneeled down to be almost my height.  
"You are very welcome, Sicily," she replied and gave me a hug which I returned. When she pulled away she made Scyllias leave the room and helped me change into the new dress. It seemed heavier than the other one, and warmer as well.  
"There, how do you like it?" She asked me. I smiled and did a little twirl.  
"I like it!" I told her happily. She smiled in return and held her hand down to me which I took hold of. She led me down to the main hall of the palace where King Vitiges was waiting. He nodded at me and I bowed to him when Goths did. I glanced back at Scyllias who smiled at me when he caught my eye.  
We left the palace with King Vitiges and a few of his guards to meet Belisarius and Byzantine in the court yard. I stayed latched to Goths leg when I spotted Byzantine and glared at the dark eyed nation who's gaze landed upon me.  
"Are you ready to go home, Sicily?" He asked me and I shot off a few choice words to him in Greek. His eyebrows rose slightly but he didn't seemed too surprised by my word choice.  
"Welcome Belisarius," King Vitiges greeted the commander. Belisarius thanked him but both Goths and I eyed the man warily. He seemed to be like Byzantine, and it was sending bad vibes that gave me the chills.

* * *

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* * *

They talked for a while and we had recently made our way into the large dinning room where the servants had placed some food for us to eat. I sat in between Goths and Scyllias; he was getting glared at by Byzantine but Scyllias ignored him. I sat there silently, occasionally looking up the table at King Vitiges. After a bit longer King Vitiges stood up and shook Belisarius's hand. I suppose they had decided to be friends, that was nice.  
"Byzantine, we are ready to leave for Constantinople," Belisarius said and then looked at me. "The child comes along as well, she's still under the rule of the empire."  
I looked at Goths who patted my head gently.  
"I will help her prepare for her travels ahead," Goths replied in a resigned tone. We both knew there was no way out of this, I had to go.  
We left the room and went back upstairs to my room. She presented me with a few more dresses packed into a small saddlebag for me to carry.  
"My parting gift," she said and I handed the saddlebag to Scyllias.  
"Thank you for this, Goths," I said and she kneeled down and gave me a gentle hug. I hugged her back, knowing this would be the final time I got to hug her. She had been great to me, and these last few weeks had been great. I was surely going to miss this.

* * *

**And now we're done! :D  
Interesting what I have done, non? Just following history's orders~(and improvising sketchy information I obtain to fit).  
A side note, Sicily sees taking someone's hand as a sign of friendship during this time. She's naïve, I know it but she's also a small child still, physically and somewhat mentally as well. She also…well she has abandonment issues I suppose? She has been tossed around with rulers and the ones she likes disappear seemingly…it seems like a rather logical deduction.**

**History~!**

**Belisarius had sent troops north of the Po River, had ships patrolling the Adriatic Sea and besieged the city. Since it was cut off from supplies it was only a matter of time before it had to surrender.  
A Frankish embassy visited King Vitiges looking for an alliance between the Franks and the Goths but because of what had occurred the previous summer (a large Frankish army had crossed the Alps and come upon Goths [the people] and Byzantines who were encamped on either side of the Po River. The Goths thought they had an ally coming to help them but they were swiftly defeated by the Franks. The astonished Byzantines attacked the offending Franks were defeated, and consequently withdrew down into Tuscany), they could not be trusted to help now.  
Another embassy from Constantinople arrived soon afterwards bearing very lenient terms of surrender from the emperor Justinian. Justinian wanted to finish his war with the Goths so he could focus his efforts on the looming war with the Persians (oddly enough, the war had come about by King Vitiges encouraging the Persians to go to war with the Byzantines. Sadly, that's so came too late to help him) and while the Goths readily accepted Justinian's terms (this consisted of a partition of Italy, the lands south of the Po River belonging to the Byzantine Empire and the lands north of the Po River belonging to the Goths) Belisarius refused to sign because he saw it as a betrayal of all he had strived to achieve, even though his generals disagreed and told him to sign. This lead to the Goths resorting to one last plan, offering to make Belisarius (a man whom for some reason they respected. Maybe it was because of his great leadership?) the western emperor. He had no intentions of actually accepting the offer but he also knew that he could use it to his advantage so he feigned acceptance. Thus, in May of 540 A.D., Commander Belisarius and his army entered the city of Ravenna. They didn't loot the city and allowed the Gothic people of the city to keep their property along with treating them well. Due to Ravenna's surrender, many Gothic garrisons north of the Po River surrendered as well. Some still remained in Gothic hands, such as Ticinum and Verona.**

**That's all for now~! I'll see you in the next chapter!**

**_С любовью,_****  
AngelHairCurls**


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